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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27106927">X-Hale</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nonshalanto/pseuds/Nonshalanto'>Nonshalanto</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>X-Men - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen, Work In Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 16:20:26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>44,892</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27106927</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nonshalanto/pseuds/Nonshalanto</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A narrative exploration of how the Xavier institute could possibly run on a day to day basis given that it's both an accredited school of sorts and a secret training facility for vigilante operations with ambitious ambiguous goals.  </p><p>Told through the eyes of a new student that just wants to graduate and has no idea what's going on and probably never will.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Chapter One </p><p>Life is long and strange. An oversimplified statement of fact that the longer that time progresses the greater the possibility that unlikely events will come to pass. While there are numerous examples of this concept to draw from, none are as fascinating the humble day-to-day operations of school dedicated to education of gifted youngsters and their unique challenges.</p><p>“Hello! My name is Kenna and it’s a pleasure to meet you!” Kenna said with an outstretched hand and a smile on her face.</p><p>“Hey,” said the blue woman. She was sitting on her bed and couldn’t even be bothered to remove her eyes from her book. Kenna kept her hand out for a moment longer hoping her new exotic roommate was just getting to a stopping point before meeting her greeting. She never did.</p><p>“Whatcha reading?”</p><p>“Farewell to Arms.”</p><p>“Oh is it good?”</p><p>“It’s alright.”</p><p>“I like the dangly thing on your forehead.”</p><p>“Thanks?”</p><p>“Does it do anything interesting?”</p><p>“You’re not going to put your arm down till I shake it are you?”</p><p>“I thought maybe you just didn’t notice it yet.”</p><p>“I noticed.” Kenna lowered her arm, but her cheery disposition never waned.</p><p>“Okay that’s fine. I get it. You’re a mutant. I’m a mutant. We were both sent to this school for mutants. You’re probably just as scared as I am.”</p><p>“You’re not a mutant.”</p><p>“I’m not?”</p><p>“Dr. McCoy might have said you were, and you might even have some fancy tricks to show off, but you’re not a mutant.”</p><p>“Please don’t tell anybody. They gave me a free ride and I can’t afford real college.”</p><p>“Will you stop talking to me and stay on your side of the room?”</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>“Your secret is safe with me.” The lights went out.</p><p>“Is this normal?”</p><p>“What did I just say?”</p><p>“I feel like something like this is an exception.” When the lights came back on a large metal barrier was covering the window to their room.</p><p>“Finally,” the blue woman said, turning the page.</p><p>“What’s going on?”</p><p>“Wait for it.”</p><p>Attention, please stay calm. There is an incident occurring on the campus. The barriers are for your protection. We will try to resolve the issue as quickly as possible. Thank you for your patience. The speakers crackled.</p><p>“How did you?”</p><p>“I was awake during the orientation.”</p><p>“It was long and boring.”</p><p>“You’re not wrong.”</p><p>“So this is?”</p><p>“A scheduled drill.”</p><p>“Oh good.” An hour passed. The barriers still haven’t dropped. Kenna tried to keep her pact with the blue woman, but with all of her stuff unpacked and no cell signal the silence had to die. “How did you know I was asleep?”</p><p>“And you were doing so well,” said the blue woman turning the page.</p><p>“How did you know I was asleep during the orientation? You must have been watching me.”</p><p>“I was, we were sitting behind you.”</p><p>“We?”</p><p>“Me and the other Morlocks.”</p><p>“Morlocks?”</p><p>“The real mutants.”</p><p>“Mutants?”</p><p>“I’m just going to ignore you now.”</p><p>“No seriously, what are Morlocks?”</p><p>“A community of mutants that are shunned by society because of how we look.”</p><p>“Oh! That’s what you meant by that.”</p><p>“What did you think I meant?”</p><p>“That I was normal somehow and just really confused about what was going on with me and I somehow slipped through the cracks and landed here.”</p><p>“I still think that.”</p><p>“But you only think that way because I’m not blue.”</p><p>“That’s oversimplifying it, but sure.”</p><p>“But I am blue.”</p><p>“No, granted you have a darker complexion, but you’re not blue.”</p><p>“But I am blue under my skin.” The blue woman got up and threw her book at Kenna.</p><p>“You were not born in shit! You’ve never had to live in the sewer! You’ve never stolen anything cause your very sight made people panic! No one has ever tried to exterminate you! You can read! You are not a mutant!” Kenna didn’t say anything. The blue woman got back in her bed and turned away from her. Another hour passed.</p><p>“I’m sorry.”</p><p>“It’s fine.”</p><p>“Do you want your book back?”</p><p>“No.”</p><p>“I didn’t know.”</p><p>“Like I said it’s fine.”</p><p>“How did you end up here?”</p><p>“Prof. Xavier was kind enough to offer sanctuary to the survivors.”</p><p>“Well that’s nice.”</p><p>“It was, but I’m starting to think it was all elaborate cheese.”</p><p>“Is it because we’ve been trapped in here for so long?”</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>“Oh good, I’m glad I’m not the only one worried about that.”</p><p>“It makes sense. You lure disparaged mutants in with false hope, tell them not to panic as the trap goes off, and watch them die to the amusement of others.”</p><p>“Don’t you think that’s a bit of an overreaction?” The lights went out, “Well, shit.”</p><p>“I got it.” The end of the dangly skin protruding from her forehead burned with a green light.</p><p>“That’s so cool.”</p><p>“I know.”</p><p>“It’s like one of those angler fish lure things. What else can you do?”</p><p>“That’s pretty much it, just blue and the one light.”</p><p>“Oh,”</p><p>“Is that not enough?”</p><p>“No it’s fine! You’re fine! I just think this stuff is interesting.”</p><p>“And what can you do that’s so interesting?”</p><p>“Mine’s not that interesting.”</p><p>“Tell me anyway.”</p><p>“I am a sponge.”</p><p>“You absorb water?”</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>“And you do what with it?”</p><p>“Nothing really.”</p><p>“You don’t shoot it at people or fart a mist or anything?”</p><p>“Nope.”</p><p>“That’s kind of lame.”</p><p>“Hey it’s not lame! It’s just not that interesting.”</p><p>“How are you supposed to defend yourself with that?”</p><p>“I don’t, I mostly use it to clean up spills.”</p><p>“Lame.”</p><p>“I also used it once to save somebody from drowning. That was pretty cool.”</p><p>“Can you use it to drain the moisture out of another body?”</p><p>“No?”</p><p>“Then it’s lame.”</p><p>“Fine! It’s lame! Just like yours!”</p><p>“Excuse me?”</p><p>“You heard me!” The light went out, “Oh, real mature.”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“Turn the light back on.”</p><p>“I thought it you said it was lame?”</p><p>“You said mine was lame!”</p><p>“Mine is more useful than yours.”</p><p>“Mine would be more useful if you were drowning!”</p><p>“No it wouldn’t.”</p><p>“Why not!?”</p><p>“Cause I can breathe water.”</p><p>“But you said you only had the two things! That’s a third thing!”</p><p>“No I said just blue, the one light, and the gills.”</p><p>“Are you gaslighting me!?”</p><p>“No.”</p><p>“Can I touch your gills?”</p><p>“No.”</p><p>“Can you turn the light back on?”</p><p>“No.”</p><p>“Can you see in the dark?”</p><p>“Now that’s just racist.” They both broke into a fit of laughter. Until a third person turned on a flashlight.</p><p>“Hey guys! Sorry for interrupting,” said the intruder. Kenna screamed and threw a pillow at the uniformed woman, but it went right through her. “You’re Kenna Knox and Franny Waites right?” she asked, looking at a clipboard.</p><p>“Your name’s Franny?” Kenna asked.</p><p>“Yes,” said Franny.</p><p>“Why am I just finding out about this now!?”</p><p>“It never came up.”</p><p>“It’s like the first thing you should have told me after I told you my name!”</p><p>“Which is?” asked the mysterious third party chewing on her pencil.</p><p>“I’m so sorry. My name is Kenna, and it’s a pleasure to meet you,” said Kenna hand outstretched.</p><p>“Kenna, great thank you!” she started to phase through the wall.</p><p>“Wait!” cried Kenna.</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“Who are you!? What’s going on!?”</p><p>“Right, I was supposed to tell you that. Well I’m Kitty. I’m with basically an RA or whatever passes for one around here. And the power is out,” Kitty said still partially through the door.</p><p>“Okay, but why?” asked Kenna.</p><p>“Oh it’s nothing. It’s just one of those first day hiccups. It happens every year.”</p><p>“That’s a wordy way of saying nothing,” said Franny.</p><p>“I know right, is there any other questions I can dodge for you?” asked Kitty.</p><p>“How do you do that?”</p><p>“What? Phase through walls. I have no idea.”</p><p>“No, I mean, how do you phase through stuff without phasing through the floor.”</p><p>“Practice.”</p><p>“Cool.”</p><p>“I know right! Bye!” she as she phased the rest of the way through the wall.”</p><p>Before the dark could completely encompass their room again Franny turned her light back on. “She seemed nice,” said Kenna.</p><p>“In a sketchy kind of way.”</p><p>“At least she was honest about lying to us?”</p><p>“I suppose.”</p><p>“And now we know that they’re not trying to kill us.”</p><p>“I’m not convinced.”</p><p>“Why would they send someone to check up on us if they’re trying to kill us?”</p><p>“To see if we’re dead yet.”</p><p>“She could have walked in here with a gun and shot both of us no big deal. Why wait?”</p><p>“Either way something didn’t go as planned.”</p><p>“Fair enough.”</p><p>“We need to leave.”</p><p>“I have concerns.”</p><p>“Have you even tried the door yet?”</p><p>“No.”</p><p>“Why not?”</p><p>“I assumed that if they’re going to go through the trouble of blocking the window with a large piece of metal they’d lock us in,” Franny looked at her, “Fine.” She tried the handle and found it unlocked. “Oh!” but behind the door was another large piece of metal blocking their way. “Oh.”</p><p>“Look around, see if there’s anything we can use in here to get that thing open.”</p><p>“Unless you brought a welding torch I think we’re out of luck.”</p><p>“What did you bring with you?”</p><p>“Clothes, coats, toiletries, umbrella, bottled water, coffee, coffee maker, creamer, sugar, and mugs,” Franny looked at her, “What?”</p><p>“Nothing.”</p><p>“Would you like some coffee?”</p><p>“No, I’m good.”</p><p>“Have you ever tried it?”</p><p>“Yes, I’m not a fan.”</p><p>“Have you ever tried it the way I make it?”</p><p>“Obviously not.”</p><p>“Would you like to?”</p><p>“No.”</p><p>“Would you if we weren’t trapped like rats?”</p><p>“Maybe.”</p><p>“Wait, how did you try coffee in the sewers?”</p><p>“That’s just where we lived. I made frequent trips to the street level.”</p><p>“How’d that go?”</p><p>“Depends on if anybody saw me.”</p><p>“What did you do up there?”</p><p>“Kill people that saw me.”</p><p>“Oh.”</p><p>“I’m, I’m messing with you.”</p><p>“Please don’t do that. I’m very gullible.”</p><p>“Good to know.”</p><p>“I shouldn’t have told you that should I?”</p><p>“No.”</p><p>“What did you bring?”</p><p>“Not a welding torch.”</p><p>“Can I see?”</p><p>“I have nothing that can help us get out of here.”</p><p>“You’re not going to show me anything you have are you?”</p><p>“There’s no point.”</p><p>“Come on.”</p><p>“It’s garbage.”</p><p>“Like literal garbage?”</p><p>“That’s offensive.”</p><p>“I’m sorry!”</p><p>“And accurate.”</p><p>“Why?”</p><p>“Personal property is a bit of a fluid concept in our community so we would passionately hide anything we got our hands on. Which was often garbage.”</p><p>“What you are describing is a treasure horde. You brought your treasure horde here to make sure nobody else would take it!”</p><p>“You know, when you say it like that, it’s the saddest thing I’ve ever heard.”</p><p>“Oh my goodness you’re the little mermaid!”</p><p>“The what?”</p><p>“A creature that dwells beneath the surface that collects things and dreams and sings about living up there!”</p><p>“I don’t sing.”</p><p>“Have you tried!?”</p><p>“I am not going to sing right now!”</p><p>“If we weren’t trapped like rats would you!?”</p><p>“No! What is wrong with you!? How is any of this going to help us to escape?”</p><p>“I think I know a way!”</p><p>“You do?”</p><p>“But only if you sing a little mermaid song!”</p><p>“Is that really where your priorities are right now!?”</p><p>“I don’t think I’ll ever get another opportunity like this!”</p><p>“I don’t even know the words!”</p><p>“You don’t have to! There’s a part in the movie where Ariel sings to a sea witch and she kind of just does notes! It’s a really good part!”</p><p>“Why was she singing to a sea witch?”</p><p>“She was giving her voice to her in exchange for legs!”</p><p>“Are you trying to steal my voice!? Are you secretly a sea witch!?”</p><p>“No! What? No.”</p><p>“That’s exactly what a sea witch would say!”</p><p>“Nobody is stealing anything! It was an exchange of goods and services! And just as Ariel gave her voice for legs you are going to give me your voice for freedom! So sing with me dammit!” Kenna began to sing the notes gently but aggressively gesturing for Franny to do the same. Franny rolled her eyes and attempted to harmonize with her. There was no confidence in her voice, but as Kenna sang louder she answered her intensity. “Keep singing!” Kenna yelled dramatically standing up. Franny stood as well as if to meet her challenge. Her voice echoed through the room alone as her magnificent green light brightened with the crescendo. “Holy shit.” Franny snapped out of it. “Holy shit! That was awesome!” Franny slapped Kenna. “Ow! What was that for?”</p><p>“Tell me how to get out of here!” Kenna felt something running down her face. It was blood and Franny had not slapped her that hard.</p><p>“We need to start a fire.”</p><p>“How’s that going to help!?”</p><p>“I know it sounds bad, but assuming this room is here to keep us alive it might release us if it detects a fire.”</p><p>“If you’re wrong we die!”</p><p>“In that case we would have escaped in a different sense.”</p><p>“Even if you’re right the power is out! It wouldn’t work!”</p><p>“I think they’re lying about that.”</p><p>“Explain!”</p><p>“We’re still breathing. Air has to be getting here somehow.”</p><p>“I can’t believe I sang for this crap!”</p><p>“I can’t believe your nails are that sharp! Ow!”</p><p>“And how would you even start this fire!?”</p><p>“I don’t know! But dorm fires happen all the time, surely it can’t be that hard!”</p><p>“How do they happen!?”</p><p>“Usually unattended personal heaters, microwaves, hot plates-,”</p><p>“Coffee makers?”</p><p>“Coffee makers, discarded cigarettes, makeshift branding equipment, makeshift lighter flamethrowers.”</p><p>“Coffee maker.”</p><p>“The light yourself on fire challenge, scented candles, indoor campfires, Christmas tree decorations, indoor fried turkeys, poorly made jack-o-lanterns, Fourth of July indoor fireworks party.”</p><p>“We’re using your coffee maker.”</p><p>“What!? No! What!?” she asked, cradling her coffee maker.</p><p>“Don’t get me wrong. It’s a dumb idea, but I don’t have anything and this might be our only chance.”</p><p>“Or! Or we be cool and wait until they let us out.”</p><p>“This is happening.”</p><p>“I could make us some coffee! We could have a coffee party! It’s like a tea party with more yelling! You love yelling!” Franny popped her claws. They were black and protruded from under her fingernails.</p><p>“Give me the coffee maker.”</p><p>“But? You said.”</p><p>“Four things.”</p><p>“You’re just a Swiss army knife of a mutant aren’t you!?”</p><p>“Yes! I am kind of a big deal! Now give it!”</p><p>“I will fight you!”</p><p>“Wow, in the deepest darkest sewers I have never faced such courage. I’m immediately backing down because you stood up to me and my scary claws.”</p><p>“Really?”</p><p>“No.” Franny’s light went out.</p><p>“Franny?” Kenna climbed on top of her bed, “Franny you’re going to feel really stupid when that door opens up any minute now.” Deafening silence filled the room for longer than Kenna cared for, “Come on Franny! This kind of stuff is exactly why people are scared of us! We need to be above this kind of thing!”</p><p>“You’re not wrong,” Franny said from the ceiling above her.</p><p>“This is happening isn’t it?” said Kenna, not even bothering to look up.</p><p>“Yes.” Franny dropped down on her. They fought each other tooth and claw tossing and breaking things until Kenna collapsed from exhaustion. Franny turned her light back on. Kenna was covered in claw marks and bleeding from an eye. Franny was a little worse for wear, but quite tired.</p><p>“Was sticking your fucking claw in my eye really necessary?” asked Kenna.</p><p>“You were biting into my arm!” she said plugging in the coffee maker.</p><p>“I don’t have claws! What was I supposed to do!?”</p><p>“Give up sooner!” she said, placing the book in the pot.</p><p>“I haven’t given up! We’re still fighting! I’m just taking a break.”</p><p>“I’d stay down if I were you. I’ve killed for less,” Franny sat down across from her, “I’ll give you this though, you’re way heavier then you look.”</p><p>“And now you’re calling me fat.”</p><p>“And you don’t whine as much for a person I just stabbed in the eye. Usually it’s all ‘My eye! You just stabbed me in the eye!’ stuff.”</p><p>“It’s no biggie, really. They always go for the eyes first,” she said standing back up on shaky legs. Franny paused for a moment digesting what she just said.</p><p>“Who is the ‘they’ in that sentence?” she asked, watching Kenna shuffle to the sink. As the water washed over her skin hot steam shot out of her wounds closing them.</p><p>“Everybody, I mean, it makes sense,” she wiped the blood out of her newly formed eye, “It’s a very useful way to escape.”</p><p>“You lied to me.”</p><p>“No I didn’t.”</p><p>“You said you didn’t do anything with the water!”</p><p>“I don’t! I have no control over what my body does with it.”</p><p>“Semantics!”</p><p>“I should be the mad one here!”</p><p>“How can I trust you after this!?”</p><p>“You’ve been lying to me the entire time!”</p><p>“I thought we were friends!”</p><p>“We were!? Whatever, I'm turning off the coffee maker.”</p><p>“Don’t do it.”</p><p>“What are you going to do?”</p><p>“Stop you.”</p><p>“How?”</p><p>“Easily.” A second set of eye-lids slid over her eyes. They were transparent but much darker helping her see while her light grew unreasonably brighter. Kenna closed her eyes.</p><p>“Okay this is annoying, for sure, but I think ‘easily’ is a bit of stretch.” She walked towards where the coffee maker was sitting. It wasn’t there. “Franny, where’s my coffee maker?”</p><p>“I moved it.”</p><p>“Where?”</p><p>“To the outlet next to your bed.” Kenna turned to face where her bed was.</p><p>“This is a trap isn’t it?”</p><p>“Yup.”</p><p>“If I go for the coffee maker you’re going to do something to me.”</p><p>“Most likely.”</p><p>“But the longer I wait the more time my coffee maker has to catch on fire.”</p><p>“Are you going to turn it off or not?”</p><p>“I’m thinking!”</p><p>“About what?”</p><p>“I don’t know! Since I can’t see this is all just mind games right now!”</p><p>“Maybe!”</p><p>“Which means you’re maybe not confident on actually stopping me.”</p><p>“You’re overthinking this now.”</p><p>“Nah I got you figured out Franny Waites!” Kenna walked towards her bed only to be knocked onto it and sandwiched between both beds.</p><p>“It was never under my bed was it?” a muffled Kenna asked.</p><p>“Nope,” said Franny dimming her lights.</p><p>“It’s where your bed used to be.”</p><p>“Or is it?”</p><p>“You won, can you just give me this?”</p><p>“Yeah it’s over there.”</p><p>“So what you’re just going to keep me here until a fire breaks out.”</p><p>“Pretty much.”</p><p>“I hate you!” Another hour passed.</p><p>“Your coffee maker is taking its sweet time catching fire,” she proclaimed sitting atop her throne of beds.</p><p>“It doesn’t want to die.”</p><p>“Or you broke it.”</p><p>“Why don’t you release me so I can find out?”</p><p>“I’m going to pretend that wasn’t a serious question.”</p><p>“Why are you being so mean!?”</p><p>“Because I have been trying to save our lives this entire time and you’ve been nothing but unhelpful!”</p><p>“I gave you the plan!”</p><p>“And you’ve fought me every step of the way!”</p><p>“There was only one step!”</p><p>“And you sat your fat ass on it and said no!”</p><p>“You’re killing my friend!”</p><p>“It’s a coffee maker! I will steal you a new one when we get out of here!”</p><p>“It’s irreplaceable!”</p><p>“Is it magic or something?”</p><p>“No my sister gave it to me.”</p><p>“Before she died?”</p><p>“For my birthday. Which is a day we give each other gifts on the anniversary of the day we were birthed.”</p><p>“I know what a birthday is!”</p><p>“Well you can’t read so it’s hard to gauge what you know and don’t know!”</p><p>“I will tell you if I don’t know something!”</p><p>“Good! I want you to succeed and will help you in any way I can!”</p><p>“That’s very thoughtful of you! I didn’t expect that!”</p><p>“Was it thoughtful enough to let the coffee maker live?”</p><p>“No, she’ll just have something else to give you on your next one.”</p><p>“Huh, you know, I didn’t think of it like that.”</p><p>“And I’m sure she'd be okay with you using it like this if it was a life or death situation.”</p><p>“That actually makes a lot of sense.”</p><p>“So are we on the same page now?”</p><p>“Yeah I think we are. See we could have just talked this out the entire time.”</p><p>“So if I let you go you’re not going to freak out or anything?”</p><p>“Nah we’re cool.”</p><p>“Okay, I’m going to get off of you now. Be cool.” The moment Kenna had any freedom she picked the bed up and sandwiched Franny against the wall. “What did I just say!?” Franny pushed back. They went back and forth with the bed knocking and hitting everything in the room in an attempt to pin the other.</p><p>“Wait!”</p><p>“What!?”</p><p>“What’s that noise?”</p><p>“It’s the sound of your lying ass getting pinned!” Franny yelled, finally managing to get Kenna against the wall.</p><p>“Oh no no no, you need to let me go right now.”</p><p>“Yeah fuck that!”</p><p>“We busted a pipe! Can’t you hear that?”</p><p>“Are you still worried about the coffee maker!? I’m pretty sure we broke it along with everything else in this room if it makes you feel any better!”</p><p>“You don’t understand I can’t touch water again.”</p><p>“Or what you’ll explode?”</p><p>“Something like that, yes!”</p><p>“This I wanna see!”</p><p>“Seriously! No games! This is bad!”</p><p>“For you maybe!”</p><p>“Jab your claws into me!”</p><p>“What!?”</p><p>“Dig your meaty claws into my ribs! it might save us some time!”</p><p>“That could kill you.”</p><p>“It’s either you or me at this point.”</p><p>“I am not comfortable with this!”</p><p>“Either get comfortable or let go, it's touching my foot!” Franny let go to the amusement of Kenna clambering things together to get as high off the ground as possible.</p><p>“What’s your problem? Doesn’t it heal you or something?”</p><p>“It does! But it’s what it does to me when there’s nothing to heal that’s the problem!”</p><p>“Which is?”</p><p>“It uh, it makes more of me.”</p><p>“One’s bad enough.”</p><p>“No, not like that. It uh, it adds more to me.”</p><p>“Like extra appendages?”</p><p>“It makes me bigger!”</p><p>“Oh! Oh,” said Franny looking at the floor.</p><p>“Yeah!”</p><p>“How much bigger?”</p><p>“Are you really playing twenty questions with me right now?”</p><p>“If you’d stop being so coy about it I wouldn’t have to!”</p><p>“Big enough to kill you and everybody else under us!”</p><p>“Is your strength proportional to your size?”</p><p>“Yes! Whose isn’t?!”</p><p>“A guy I know.”</p><p>“Really?”</p><p>“Why haven’t you gone Hulk and bust down the door sooner!?”</p><p>“I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about that earlier, many times, but I’d outgrow the room before I could do something like that!”</p><p>“Not if you lay on the floor.”</p><p>“I don’t follow.”</p><p>“Instead of brute forcing it you use the wall as leverage to pop the door out.”</p><p>“That still sounds like I’m brute forcing it.”</p><p>“Yes but in a better, not everybody is going to die, kind of way.”</p><p>“Even then I still wouldn’t be able to get out.”</p><p>“But I would, at which point I’d run to go shut off the water.”</p><p>“Do you even know how to do that?”</p><p>“Yes,” Kenna looked at her in disbelief, “If I can’t figure it out I’ll find somebody who can.”</p><p>“This is such a bad plan.”</p><p>“So was the coffee maker thing.” Kenna looked at the water anxiously.</p><p>“Well!?”</p><p>“I’m thinking!”</p><p>“It’s going to be worse the longer you wait.”</p><p>“Okay! Okay! Just turn the lights off please,” she said climbing down from her perch.</p><p>“Trust me, I was planning on it.” Kenna gingerly stepped into the pooling water. Her skin drank deep from the flooding floor sending a warm stimulating sensation throughout her entire body.</p><p>“Could you stop that?”</p><p>“Stop What?”</p><p>“You’re breathing very loudly.”</p><p>“Sorry.”</p><p>“Does it hurt?”</p><p>“No, but there is definitely an intensity to it.”</p><p>“I bet. I can only imagine how delicate your whole thing is.”</p><p>“What do you mean by that?”</p><p>“Well I imagine if it works the way you said it works then if any part of you grew slower or faster than the other at any given time you’d die horribly.”</p><p>“What!?” Kenna said breathing even faster.</p><p>“Wasn’t that obvious?”</p><p>“No!?”</p><p>“Well what do I know!? I’m just a fish monster!”</p><p>“Am I going to die if I keep doing this!?”</p><p>“Do you really want me to answer that?”</p><p>“That’s it I’m done! I’m getting back on the bed!” The two beds piled together groaned in agony as they were crushed into the floor, “Fuck!”</p><p>“That horrible noise was our beds wasn’t it.”</p><p>“Yes! Ow!” yelled Kenna.</p><p>“And that was your head hitting the ceiling wasn’t it.”</p><p>“Yes! Fuck! This is why I didn’t want to do your stupid plan!”</p><p>“Just calm down.”</p><p>“No! I wanted to wait! It would have taken so long for this room to fill up! We would have been fine!”</p><p>“Sit you’re ass on the floor and shut the fuck up!” Kenna obliged with a thud, “Are you in position? Are you on your back with your feet facing the door?”</p><p>“Yes,” she said annoyed.</p><p>“Good,” Franny took a deep breath, “Do you want to talk about it?”</p><p>“No.”</p><p>“You’re obviously flustered about something.”</p><p>“It’s nothing, I'm fine.”</p><p>“You’re not, and we only have till that door comes down for you to work through it. So you should start talking now.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The phone rang again. Kenna stared at the elaborately decorated rotary phone confused. She didn’t recall how she ended up in this ornate victorian study surrounded by the fancier things in life.</p><p>“Hello?” she asked, answering the phone.</p><p>“Hello, this is Charles Xavier may I come in?” he asked over the phone.</p><p>“Yes?” As soon as she answered the door opened. An older gentleman walked in dressed for the period.</p><p>“Kenna Knox,” said Prof. Xavier.</p><p>“Bald man,” Kenna’s eyes widened and her face turned red with embarrassment, “I’m so sorry! I don’t know where that came from! I meant to say Mr. Xavier I swear! I’m so sorry!” Prof. Xavier broke out in laughter.</p><p>“It’s quite alright. This place has that effect on people who aren’t used to it.”</p><p>“Yeah, about that. Where am I?”</p><p>“An understandable question. The short answer being your mind.”</p><p>“Am I dead?”</p><p>“No.”</p><p>“Am I dreaming?”</p><p>“Not quite.”</p><p>“Has my brain been downloaded into a computer?”</p><p>“Perhaps a longer answer will serve your active imagination better.”</p><p>“That’s probably for the best.”</p><p>“I am using brain waves to manipulate synapses in your brain to construct a safe and secure environment in which we can communicate,” Kenna pinched herself, “I hope that’s alright.”</p><p>“This feels real though.”</p><p>“At this time I’m still allowing stimulus to translate to your body. I understand how confusing that must be given that the senses are our primary means of defining our reality, however I feel it is necessary to help cement the idea that this isn’t a dream. Would like some tea?” A porcelain cup of hot tea was in her hand. She couldn’t remember if had always been there or had just manifested before her.</p><p>“I prefer coffee if you have any.” The smell of coffee wafted into her nose from her cup.</p><p>“Are you beginning to understand now?” Kenna took a sip.</p><p>“Magic.” Prof. Xavier let out a long sigh.</p><p>“Not exactly.”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“A discussion for another time perhaps. Do you know why we’re having this discussion?” Kenna took another sip.</p><p>“No,”</p><p>“Would you be so kind as to grab the far right book off the shelf above the fireplace?” Kenna didn’t remember there being a large marble fireplace in the room, but there it was in all its majesty. The book she grabbed had no markings other than a date along the spine, “Would you be a dear and read the next to last passage for me.” Kenna read through the passages and dropped the cup with a horrified look.</p><p>“Fuck!”</p><p>“Everything is fine.”</p><p>“Why didn’t she turn off the water!?”</p><p>“Perhaps you should sit down.”</p><p>“Why do I not remember any of this!?” Kenna said from a chair she didn’t remember sitting down in.</p><p>“You do, it’s all in that book you’re reading. I isolated it from you for the benefit of perspective.”</p><p>“Fuck!”</p><p>“I assure you that you are not the first nor the last student of mine that will have this experience.”</p><p>“Is that supposed to make me feel better!?”</p><p>“This is why we are here. To help teach you how to control these extraordinary gifts.”</p><p>“What if I never learn? What if I can’t control them!?”</p><p>“You will.”</p><p>“Has anyone here ever not?”</p><p>“Only because they stopped trying.”</p><p>“What happened to them?”</p><p>“As with any individual who gives into their baser instincts they were isolated from society as whole.”</p><p>“What do you consider ‘not trying’?”</p><p>“Kenna, I know this is all very frightening but you’re not alone anymore. We will get through this, together, eventually, okay.”</p><p>“Okay.”</p><p>“Wonderful, now to begin your first lesson.”</p><p>“What? Now? Here?”</p><p>“The key to controlling anything is discipline. I’m sure you’ve figured by now everything we do have positive and negative consequences. As mutants the consequence of our actions have greater impact on those around us. In your case that metaphor is more literal then figurative.”</p><p>“Wait! Wait! Do I need to write this down?”</p><p>“While these principles can and should apply to everybody our community needs to pay extra attention to taking ownership of such things. Which is why you will be at the forefront of repairing all the collateral damage you’ve made.”</p><p>“Question.”</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>“Have you read this book?”</p><p>“It would be a violation of trust to read that book without your consent. However, I am well aware of the scope of what I’m telling you to do.”</p><p>“I have no idea how to fix any of this.”</p><p>“Once we leave this place you’ll need to find Forge. He will guide you through the process.”</p><p>“This is going to take forever.”</p><p>“It will take as long as it needs to.”</p><p>“I’m sorry. You’re right. When do I start?” Charles smiled and she opened her real eyes.</p><p>“Greetings Ms. Knox,” greeted the furry blue man in the lab coat hanging above her. The room she woken up to looked to be medical in nature with an obnoxious shiny sheen to it. Kenna pinched herself. “Ah, a sceptic. An open mind cautioning to trust again. I do envy the nostalgic naiveté of it all.”</p><p>“Are you Forge by any chance?”</p><p>“I’m afraid not. The majestic beast you see before your eyes is none other than the illustrious Doctor Hank McCoy.”</p><p>“Do you know Franny by any chance? She mentioned you.”</p><p>“I am indeed familiar with Ms. Waites. We had many a discussion during her journey here about the philosophical nature of our unique situations.”</p><p>“Are you a Morlock?”</p><p>“No, although I can see why one such as yourself could be confused with such a comparison. However, I do not recommend making it again. It can come across as ignorant. Morlocks are a disparaged sub-terrain community not sub-category of the mutant species.”</p><p>“I’m so sorry! I didn’t know! I swear I’m not racist! I’m just really dumb!”</p><p>“It’s fine. The wisest man is he who understands that he understands nothing.”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“Indeed.”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“Perhaps I should pass you along to Forge before I befuddle you too much.”</p><p>“What?” Dr. McCoy dropped to the ground and guided her out the door.</p><p>“How was Ms. Waites adjusting before your event if I may ask?”</p><p>“She’s fine. We have our differences but she’s fine.”</p><p>“That’s pleasing to hear. I was afraid her natural aroma would sour her interactions with the other students.”</p><p>“I’ve smelled worse. Where are we?” Kenna asked, marveling at the shiny metallic halls.</p><p>“An interesting question with many answers. If we compared the Xavier Institute to basic anatomy this would be the bone structure or cardiovascular system. The center of the logistical and administrative operations that keeps the dream alive!” The lights went out, “Well, that was inopportune.”</p><p>“Looks like the dream is dead,” she said as the emergency lights came on.</p><p>“Perish the thought. However, perhaps we should carry on with a bit more urgency. May I?” asked Dr. McCoy, offering his long burly arm.</p><p>“You may?” as the words left her mouth Dr. McCoy slung her over his shoulder and rushed down the darkened halls with animal speeds.</p><p>“Forge!” yelled Dr. McCoy banging on the large metal door that vaguely resembled a giant ‘x’.</p><p>“Don’t come in!” yelled Forge.</p><p>“Forge is everything alright?”</p><p>“I’m working on it! Don’t come in!”</p><p>“Can you put me down please?” asked Kenna, trying to hold the contents of her stomach.</p><p>“My apologies,” said Dr. McCoy putting her down, “Forge, not to be rude, but this is the second time this week and we just started the semester. Many come here seeking a more structured environment and this doesn’t bode well for that image.”</p><p>“A structured environment!? This is what you call a more structured environment!?” yelled Forge through the door.</p><p>“Forge.”</p><p>“We are a target Beast! A sitting target! For governments, for aliens, for demons, for inhumans, for criminals, for cosmic entities, for other mutants, and especially ourselves!”</p><p>“Forge.”</p><p>“Did I miss anything!?”</p><p>“Forge.”</p><p>“And of course it is up to me to keep this insane asylum from getting pulled into a black hole or some shit.”</p><p>“Forge!” the door popped loose and aggressively opened in front of them.</p><p>“What!?” he asked, looking at Dr. McCoy before Kenna caught his attention, “Did you hear all that?”</p><p>“Yes,” Kenna said to the Native American with the professionally constructed prosthetic leg.</p><p>“Good, get out of here and move to the mid-west. Nothing bad ever happens there.”</p><p>“Forge!” Dr. McCoy roared, “I know, I know, be more professional in front of the students. You’re Kenna right? The one responsible for drowning me in work orders.”</p><p>“Yes,” said Kenna sheepishly.</p><p>“Professor Xavier has requested that she help you with repairs as part of her training,” said Dr. McCoy.</p><p>“Yeah he told me,” said Forge.</p><p>“I trust you’ll keep up with the proper documentation.”</p><p>“I always do.”</p><p>“Then I’ll leave you to your work. Good day to you Forge, Ms. Knox.” He said walking away. Forge watched him walk away.</p><p>“What an ass,” he said closing the door in front of Kenna. She stared at the door for a minute, then looked down the hall Dr. McCoy walked down, then back at the door before she knocked.</p><p>“Mr. Forge?” There was no response, “Mr. Forge?” The door opened back up.</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“I think I’m supposed to help you or something?”</p><p>“Come back tomorrow I’m busy getting the lights back on.”</p><p>“Okay, that’s fine. When though?”</p><p>“After your classes.”</p><p>“My classes are spread a bit throughout the day. The last one being around six. Will seven be okay with you?”</p><p>“That’ll be fine,” he said, closing the door.</p><p>“Mr. Forge.”</p><p>“What?” he asked, opening the door again.</p><p>“Um, how long will I be working with you a day?”</p><p>“We’ll talk about that tomorrow.”</p><p>“Okay.”</p><p>“Is there anything else?”</p><p>“How do I get out of here?”</p><p>“Did Beast not tell you?”</p><p>“No, I think Dr. McCoy thought you would.” Forge ran his hand over his face.</p><p>“Come in, I guess,” he said walking further into the room.</p><p>“Thank you?”</p><p>“And close the door behind you.”</p><p>“What is this place?” she said struggling to move the heavy door back into place.</p><p>“Name it.”</p><p>“Your home?”</p><p>“Sometimes.”</p><p>“A kitchen?”</p><p>“Sometimes.”</p><p>“Engineering?”</p><p>“Sure.”</p><p>“So are you going to show me how to get out of here or?”</p><p>“After I’m done.”</p><p>“Oh, okay. Is there anything I can do to help?”</p><p>“Stand still and face the door.”</p><p>“May I sit and face the door?”</p><p>“No.”</p><p>“Are you sure you don’t want me to at least hold that flashlight for you?”</p><p>“Kid, look, here’s the deal. You’re not the first person to trash the place and you’re not first person they told to clean it up. They think it’s helping me out, but on this earth it only gives me more work.”</p><p>“You do everything by yourself?”</p><p>“Fuck no, but the list of people that can actually help is short and the list I’m willing to ask is even shorter.”</p><p>“Those poor people.”</p><p>“So instead of you going around trying to fix things and me going behind you to fix them correctly how about you stop by every day and I’ll sign that sheet saying you put in your time? Not a bad deal huh?” Kenna thought for a moment.</p><p>“This is a test isn’t it?”</p><p>“No.”</p><p>“That’s exactly what you’d say if it was a test!”</p><p>“Kid, this isn’t a test.”</p><p>“Professor Xavier said I'd be fine as long as I tried and taking an easy way out doesn’t sound like trying.”</p><p>“Literally everyone has been okay with this.”</p><p>“I wonder if everyone has their own test.”</p><p>“The senior staff, the junior staff, I think even Xavier has come to expect it.”</p><p>“This must be how you weed people out.”</p><p>“You are wildly overestimating the effort they put in here.”</p><p>“Maybe being isolated in our rooms was a test too!”</p><p>“You’re not even listening to me are you?”</p><p>“I wonder how Franny’s test went. Maybe that’s why she never turned off the water. Did she fail?” the lights turned back on and Kenna turned around, “Is that a-,” Forge quickly covered her eyes.</p><p>“No.”</p><p>“But.”</p><p>“You saw nothing.”</p><p>“I don’t think you should have that.”</p><p>“I don’t cause there was nothing there.”</p><p>“If there was nothing there then why are you covering my eyes?”</p><p>“Cause this is a test.”</p><p>“Did I pass?”</p><p>“Only if you never talk about what you saw.”</p><p>“Which was nothing?”</p><p>“You only pass if it was nothing.”</p><p>“It’s nothing.”</p><p>“Congratulations, you passed.”</p><p>“Yay.”</p><p>“Now get out.”</p><p>“Okay, but-,” Forge tossed her and closed the door, “I still don’t know how to get out of here.”</p><p>Kenna knocked on the door a few more times before giving up. Being alone in this futuristic brightly lit hallway gave her the idea that she wasn’t supposed to be there unattended. She cautiously walked down the hall looking at the various signs. Cerebro, Lab01, Lab02, Ready Room01, Ready Room02, Danger Room observation deck,  Danger Room. That last one gave her pause. The door was open. “Hello?” she asked the darkened entrance.</p><p>“Dah?” the darkness answered with a surprisingly feminine tone.</p><p>“Hello? My name is Kenna and it’s a pleasure to meet you? I’m sorry, I don’t think I’m supposed to be here. Can you tell me where the exit is?” There was a long pause.</p><p>“Dah.” A single spot light turned on over an ordinary doorway in the middle of a large room. It even has the word exit on it.</p><p>“Are you sure that’s the exit?”</p><p>“Dah,” it said over an intercom.</p><p>“Not that I’m not grateful for the help or anything, but this seems suspicious.” Kenna didn’t understand the long string of what she assumed was Russian coming over the intercom, loud and angry Russian. “Okay! Okay! I’m going! Stop yelling!” She walked into the room and the door closed behind her. “Was that supposed to happen?”</p><p>“Dah!” Not wanting to be yelled at anymore she obediently opened the door. Much to her surprise it did lead to the hallowed halls of the Xavier Institute. While she hadn’t had much time to explore in the short period of time she had been there the distinct architecture was more familiar than the chrome dungeon she had been in.</p><p>She did find odd that nobody was around. A lot of empty space for such a large number of students. She nosed her way in and around various parts of the mansion looking for anybody that could alleviate the overwhelming feeling that she wasn’t supposed to be here either. It wasn’t until she went outside did she finally have proof that something was amiss. The dorm that she had been assigned to was perfectly intact. There were no signs at all of her panic attack and the collateral damage that had ensued as a result.</p><p>“Hostile mutant detected,” the deep electronic voice said above her. Kenna didn’t even have time to look up before she was sent flying back towards the mansion by the shockwave. A thirty foot automaton with vaguely humanoid features had landed practically on top of her. “Destroy,” it said, taking heavy methodical steps towards her. Kenna, finding her assailant’s statement disagreeable, ran back into the mansion fearing for her tiny life.</p><p>“Destroy,” it barked again as she locked the door. The calm demeanor of its message starkly contrasted with the sheer volume it announced it with. She backed away into the foyer secretly hoping the elegant walls were enough to hold back her pursuer. It didn’t even slow it down. The lumbering purple machine gave no attention to the obstacle as it walked through it.</p><p>“Destroy,” it cried again as if the destruction it was causing wasn’t a good enough reminder. Kenna ran back to the door she left from the danger room. It wasn’t her favorite place but the chrome dungeon gave her hope that it would fare better against the mechanical monster. When the door opened again she was forcefully pulled in a thrown across the grey craterous terrain.</p><p>When she pulled herself again she could hardly take it all in. She was on the moon, staring up at Earth from a celestial body that she had no business being on. She jumped a little, but the gravity she felt disappointingly familiar. “Destroy,” it said again bursting forth from the ground sending clouds of moon dust cascading in every direction.  Kenna ran away again in frustrated disbelief that this thing had found her again on the moon of all places. It was also getting harder to explain to herself what was even going on at all. She should have been breathing in death, but here she was huffing and puffing across the surface of the moon back towards a magical door. A door that she no longer trusted to take her anywhere near home, but as long as it was away from the racist robot she was not going to argue with it.</p><p>The third use of the door took her to an alien planet. At least she assumed it was an alien planet. She was in a vast warm jungle surrounded by a great ice wall. It was nice enough, but she didn’t want to stick around long enough for the ridiculous to happen. The door didn’t open. “Oh come on.” She pulled harder. “Really!?” she surveyed her surroundings quickly before trying again. The whole thing came down on her. “No! No! No!” she yelled propping the frame up against a tree.</p><p>The jungle chirped at her as if it was introducing itself. She desperately pulled on the knob again, but when it finally gave it opened up to nothing. It was just a doorway now with no nonsense about it. Kenna worked the door over and over hoping that it magically worked again. All it did was garner more attention from the jungle she was so desperately trying to escape.</p><p>When the door swung open again the dinosaur was staring at her. Much like her experience on the moon the whole thing was difficult to process. This two foot tall feathery lizard seemed just as perplexed by the situation. For it, however, the novelty didn’t last quite as long and leapt at her. Kenna closed the door on it. She knew it was too much to ask that this turkey sized miracle of life just give up so she ran up the door and jumped for a tree branch.</p><p>This tiny dinosaur bobbed its head in amusement. So amused was it that it called over twenty of its best friends to see how long this sweaty mammal could stay up there with only one hand wrapped around a sickly branch. “Look I know what you’re thinking. Eat her. And I’m not saying don’t eat her. But I am saying maybe don’t eat her right now? At least not all of me! If you eat all of me right now I’ll be just another meal, but if you let me live and only take bits of me occasionally I’ll last longer. How does that sound?” They chirped in amusement. “Fuck it, I bet I can eat you before you eat me.”</p><p>She dropped down causing a frenzy as they tried to eat each other. That was until most of the dinosaurs scattered back into the jungle. The last one was struggling to free itself from Kenna. “I'm going to eat this part of you for breakfast! I’m going to eat that part of you for lunch! And I don’t know what that part is but I’m going to eat it for dinner!” The ground quaked. Kenna only took notice when the shadow loomed over her.</p><p>“Destroy.” It announced. It brought its enormous foot down for the kill. Kenna let go of her meal and screamed. And kept screaming. She screamed for much longer than she expected to be alive. When she felt brave enough to open her eyes she was staring at the bottom of its manufactured foot. It was right above her poised to crush her very crushable body. Then it faded away.</p><p>Everything faded away. She was now laying in a bright expansive room alone. She thought that maybe this was another Prof. Xavier experience or perhaps she never left the first one, but her clothes were still torn, the bite marks still fresh, and her stomach felt off. Whatever was happening to her was still happening to her and she half expected the racist robot to bust through the wall to finish her off.</p><p>Instead of the robot it was a burning pentagram that found its way next to her releasing two individuals from basically nothing. One of them was a metallic seven foot man the woman he was carrying was a shorter blond woman laughing her head off. “Are you okay little one?” asked the metal man with a thick Russian accent. Pushed herself away from him. The metal man looked confused for a moment. “No no, friend,” he said pointing to himself.</p><p>“Am I dead? Is this the not good place!?” asked Kenna. The woman he carried laughed even harder. He yelled at her Russian. She yelled back.</p><p>“We start on wrong foot. I am Peter and this is my sister Illyana. We are not demons. We are X-Men. We good guys.”</p><p>“Your sister sounds familiar,” Said Kenna.</p><p>“Dah,” said Illyanna.</p><p>“You!”</p><p>“Illyana apologize for rude joke. Don’t you Illyana,” said Peter.</p><p>“Dah?” said Illyana.</p><p>“What was that!? What was any of this!? What are-,” Kenna threw up.</p><p>“Are you okay!?” Illyana giggled Russian behind his back, “You ate construct!?”</p><p>“Only a little!” Kenna said in-between heaves.</p><p>“Oh no,” Peter picked up Kenna, “Illyana!”</p><p>“Dah,” Illyana said bored as a pentagram formed around their feet. Kenna struggled as the fires rose up around them and only stopped when she saw they had somehow made their way to what looked like the medical facility. Peter dropped Kenna on a gurney and gave her a bed pan.</p><p>“No thanks I’m good,” Kenna wheezed.</p><p>“Use for outputs,” said Peter digging through medical equipment. While he was working Illyana couldn’t help but smile at her.</p><p>“What?” Kenna asked.</p><p>“You run like scared rabbit,” said Illyana.</p><p>“You can speak English!?” She heaved into the bedpan.</p><p>“Dah.”</p><p>“Okay, do you have electronic heart?” asked Peter.</p><p>“No?” answered Kenna</p><p>“Are you in anyway vulnerable to electronic wave?”</p><p>“No?”</p><p>“Very good, very good, you swallow pill now.”</p><p>“What is it?” asked Kenna.</p><p>“Electronic wave, it kill construct in tummy.”</p><p>“Will it hurt?”</p><p>“Dah,” said Illyana.</p><p>“What does ‘da’ mean? What is she saying?”</p><p>“She joke. Illyana loves jokes. Take pill please.”</p><p>“I don’t know about this,” said Kenna. Peter rubbed the bridge of his nose and placed the pill on the table.</p><p>“Illyana,” said Peter.</p><p>“Dah,” said Illyana summoning a pentagram around the pill causing it to disappear.</p><p>“Where did the pill go?” asked Kenna.</p><p>“So where you from?” asked Peter looking at his watch.</p><p>“A small town you’ve never heard of. Where did the pill go Peter?”</p><p>“Ah, Illyana and I grew up on small farm in somewhere Russia. We know how you feel,” he said still looking at his watch.</p><p>“Da,” said Illyana.</p><p>“You used witchcraft to put it inside me didn’t you!?”</p><p>“Dah.”</p><p>“What!? No! No, it’s not the craft of the witch. Illyana use magic. Good magic!” said Peter. Illyana didn’t say anything.</p><p>“Magic doesn’t exist! She’s just a mutant that is doing something that looks like magic! I assume!”</p><p>“Well, yes and no.”</p><p>“Don’t yes and-,” Kenna seized up for five seconds, “Ow.”</p><p>“Good, pill worked, constructs dead, you are not.”</p><p>“Yay,” said a defeated Kenna.</p><p>“Paper says drink plenty of fluids and to contact Kitty for retrieval, but don’t tell patient. Oh, whoops.”</p><p>“Dah,” said Illyana.</p><p>“You didn’t hear that did you?” asked Peter.</p><p>“Nope,” said Kenna.</p><p>“So, favor to ask. Don’t tell anybody about this. Illyana is not on X-men best side.”</p><p>“You don’t say.”</p><p>“Too many jokes. Scott not find funny. Keep secret please.”</p><p>“Sure thing buddy.”</p><p>“Wonderful, and uh, you should join my class. I teach you about agriculture. Learn to grow food that isn’t hologram,” Peter said, picking her up.</p>
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<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>There was nothing left. Kenna had hoped that at least some of her possessions had survived her event but almost all that was left of the room she had been assigned was a sealed doorframe adorned with caution tape. Now all she had was literally the tattered clothes on her back.</p><p>“Hello again!” said Kitty tapping her on the shoulder. Kenna jumped a little.</p><p>“Hi,” she said catching her breath.</p><p>“That really sucks about your room.”</p><p>“Did anybody, you know?”</p><p>“Die?”</p><p>“Yeah, that.”</p><p>“No,”</p><p>“Oh thank goodness.”</p><p>“They were horrible injured though.”</p><p>“Fuck.”</p><p>“But don’t worry they’re fine. Elixir patched them up good as new.”</p><p>“Elixir?” Kenna asked as they walked down the hall.</p><p>“He’s a mutant that can heal people. He’s pretty cool but I hope you never have to meet him.”</p><p>“Why?”</p><p>“Because that usually means you’ve been horribly injured, duh.”</p><p>“So what happens now?”</p><p>“Well, do you have a place to sleep?”</p><p>“No?”</p><p>“Then we’re going to have to find you a new place to sleep.”</p><p>“What about Franny?”</p><p>“We’ll find her a new place to sleep too.”</p><p>“Are there that many rooms still available?”</p><p>“No, we’re going to have to double up on rooms.”</p><p>“Do we have to?”</p><p>“As a mutant do you have any special needs that would prevent you from living with other students?”</p><p>“I occasionally horribly injure people if I’m not too careful. Does that count?”</p><p>“No, that happens all the time.”</p><p>“Really?”</p><p>“Really.”</p><p>“What kind of need would give you a private room here?”</p><p>“Well, for example, we have a student that emits harmful radiation. Her room is lined in lead and away from the main campus.”</p><p>“You’re shitting me.”</p><p>“Nope.”</p><p>“You’re telling me I could get cancer going to class with somebody here.”</p><p>“They go to class in a hazmat suit. You’ll be fine.” </p><p>“What if I, you know.”</p><p>“Terrorize the townsfolk again?”</p><p>“Yeah,”</p><p>“We deal with that stuff on case by case basis, but for the most part as long as you’re not doing it to get a private room they’re pretty understanding,” Kitty stopped, “Oh hey can you sign please.”</p><p>“Sure what is it?” The paper Kitty handed her said sign here for distraction. Her eyes didn’t even have time to leave the page before Kitty plunged her hand into Kenna’s stomach and pulled out the pill Peter was asking her to take. Kenna could only stand there in a stunned silence as Kitty wiped it off with a rag and put it in her purse.</p><p>“So we’re putting you room 16A on the ground floor. I think you’ll like your new roomies” she said walking away.</p><p>“What even was that even!?” yelled Kenna.</p><p>“What was what?”</p><p>“You just jammed your whole hand into my stomach!”</p><p>“No I didn’t.”</p><p>“Yes you did! I felt it! It was awful! You even handed me this paper to distract me!”</p><p>“Do you have any idea how hard it would have been for me to do that? I would have had to know exactly where your stomach is, phase only my hand, then un-phase only part of my hand to grab the pill, then re-phase everything to get it out. You’d have to be like some kind of badass to pull that off,” she said walking down the stairs</p><p>“I didn’t even say anything about the pill,” she said following her.</p><p>“It’s not my handwriting anyway.”</p><p>“If you’d ask I would have given it back, eventually.”</p><p>“That’s what they all say,” she said, stopping in front of the door.</p><p>“Is this it?”</p><p>“Yup, here’s a copy of the key, try not to kill anybody, and I hope you have a great semester.”</p><p>“Thank you?” said Kenna watching Kitty quickly walk away.</p><p>“You’re welcome!” Kitty yelled back. She faced the door with the key in hand. The beginning might have been a bumpy start but this was her chance to get push past and get everything straight.</p><p>“Hello, my name is Kenna and it’s a pleasure to meet you!” said Kenna offering her hand to the only other person in the room.</p><p>“This is wrong,” she said nervously. She was younger and much paler then Kenna with preference for the corner of the room farthest away from the door. Kenna looked at her hand. After a moment of self-deliberation she offered the strange woman her other hand. “Hi I’m Kenna and it’s a pleasure to meet you?”</p><p>“You’re not supposed to be here.” Kenna dropped her hand and checked the door lock with her key.</p><p>“Well, I mean, the key fits.”</p><p>“You don’t understand. I’m not supposed to be here either. At least not yet. None of this makes sense.”</p><p>“Is it like a thing here not to introduce yourself?” yelled Kenna.</p><p>“Layla, Layla Miller.”</p><p>“Thank you! And I’m sorry. It’s been a long day and I’m tired so this is my room until somebody with a little more authority tells me otherwise,” she said sitting down on the bed opposite of her.</p><p>“I’m supposed to be at the orphanage.”</p><p>“Are you the only one in this room?”</p><p>“No, there are two others. They’re not supposed to be here either.”</p><p>“Where are they?”</p><p>“Dinner I think.”</p><p>“Dinner?” Kenna looked out the window, “What’s today?”</p><p>“August sixteenth.”</p><p>“Fuck, I missed all my classes. Do you by any chance have Natural Sciences with Ms. Munroe?”</p><p>“No.”</p><p>“World History with Mr. Howlett?”</p><p>“No.”</p><p>“Accounting 101 with Mr. Drake?”</p><p>“No.”</p><p>“German 101 with Mr. Wagner?”</p><p>“No.”</p><p>“P.E. with Mr. Summers?”</p><p>“No.”</p><p>“Camp Xavier with, Xavier?”</p><p>“No.”</p><p>“Oh come on, I think all the freshmen are required to take that one.”</p><p>“School, like actual school, was never the focus of this place.”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“It was more of an afterthought.”</p><p>“Are you telling me this place isn’t accredited?”</p><p>“I’m telling you this isn’t how this place runs and there are people here that shouldn’t be, like you.”</p><p>“That’s rude! You’re rude! Is your mutation being super rude?! Cause that’s what it feels like right now!”</p><p>“No, I just know things. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to come across like that. I just have a pre-conceived notion of how events are supposed to unfold here.”</p><p>“So you’ve seen the future?”</p><p>“A few of them actually.”</p><p>“What happens next?”</p><p>“I don’t know. I don’t even know where we are in the order of events. All I know is that there are people here that are separate from the future I know so either events won’t unfold like they are supposed to or your choices will be so insignificant that it won’t affect them at all.”</p><p>“Mhmm, mhmm, interesting. I’m hungry, you wanna get something to eat?”</p><p>“Does this not bother you at all?”</p><p>“I can’t control the future and, after having this conversation with you, I don’t think you can either. So let’s just enjoy the ride.”</p><p>“But you can.”</p><p>“Food.”</p><p>“You’re doing it now!”</p><p>“Food!” Kenna yelled leaving the room. She walked briskly to where the dining hall was. The hunger pings in her stomach had finally caught up to her and the “provided meals” was one of her major selling points for coming here. They didn’t disappoint either. Even though she had arrived late there was still plenty of stroganoff left.</p><p>“Kenna!” yelled Franny from across the room.</p><p>“You!” Kenna yelled back struggling to choose between yelling at Franny and getting food.</p><p>“Kenna! Kenna Kenna Kenna,” Franny said running towards her.</p><p>“No! I am angry at you!” Kenna yelled from the stroganoff line.</p><p>“I know! I was angry at myself too! But I found out some stuff!”</p><p>“Why didn’t you turn off the water!? People got hurt!”</p><p>“I think I died!”</p><p>“That’s no excuse! I trusted you! Wait, what?”</p><p>“I'm pretty sure something killed me,” Kenna looked around and poked her with a spoon, “I’m not a ghost.”</p><p>“Explain.”</p><p>“Ghosts don’t exist.”</p><p>“No the other thing.”</p><p>“I got there and-,”</p><p>“Wait, is this a long story?”</p><p>“It has some nuance, yes.” Kenna grabbed her bowl of food and sat at the nearest table.</p><p>“Okay go.”</p><p>“I got there and a short but very angry Canadian stopped me due to a miss-communication.”</p><p>“He killed you!?”</p><p>“No, but he did shut me down pretty quick. It felt like he does that type of thing often.”</p><p>“I thought you said you died.”</p><p>“I did! At least I’m mostly certain I did. Everything I told you is implanted memories.”</p><p>“Implanted memories?”</p><p>“Yeah, some dude found me and literally walked me through the memory and pointed out the inconsistencies.”</p><p>“Literally?”</p><p>“He was a telepath. A really good one. He said it looked like Prof. Xavier’s work. He really hates that guy.”</p><p>“Prof Xavier?” Franny glared at her, “To be fair you sounds like a crazy person right now. I’ve met the guy, sort of. He’s nice.”</p><p>“He has a bit of a history.”</p><p>“Of being a generous and thoughtful human being?”</p><p>“Of manipulation.”</p><p>“I don’t know Franny.”</p><p>“Elixir knew me.”</p><p>“The guy here that heals horribly injured people?”</p><p>“Yes, I have never met him before, but he knew me. I don’t think anybody told him my memories were changed.”</p><p>“Or! Since he’s the doctor he’s already familiar with all of us and our crazy medical needs.”</p><p>“It’s inside me.”</p><p>“Okay, you really need to start giving me some context before you start saying words.”</p><p>“I think Elixir missed it. There is just a claw or something sitting in me.”</p><p>“How could you possibly know that?” Franny handed Kenna a flashlight and pulled up her shirt.</p><p>“Point it here.”</p><p>“Oh, you’re transparent.”</p><p>“Only at certain angles and only with certain lights.”</p><p>“Cool.”</p><p>“I know.”</p><p>“Is that it?”</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>“It doesn’t look like a claw.”</p><p>“Well, what does it look like? I’ve only been able to look at it through a mirror.”</p><p>“It’s like a bug leg.”</p><p>“Hey guys!” said Kitty, sitting down next to Franny. She quickly lowered her shirt. “Whatcha looking at?”</p><p>“Nothing,” said Franny.</p><p>“She’s transparent. I was watching her food digest. You wanna watch?”</p><p>“No I’m good. Thanks for the offer though. So, I know you've been through a lot through such a short period of time, but do you know about the dining hall rules?”</p><p>“No?” said Kenna.</p><p>“There’s not a lot of them. No fighting, the two choices for dinner are take it or leave it, and if you didn’t help cook you better help clean, etc.” Kenna looked around. Some students around her had already started cleaning.</p><p>“Is there a third option?”</p><p>“Did you help cook?”</p><p>“No, I just got here.”</p><p>“Then you better help clean.”</p><p>“I’m not super into cleaning, is there anything else I can do?”</p><p>“That’s a good question. Let’s ask Elliot. Hey Elliot is there anything else she can do?” Elliot turned around to reveal that the mop he was using was phased through both of his arms. He shook his head. “Are you sure Elliot? Kenna really wants to do something else. Anything else really.” He shook his head again. “Oh I’m really sorry. Elliot says no.”</p><p>“That’s messed up!” said Kenna.</p><p>“And a really good way to teach people about respect! For the dining room of course.”</p><p>“I’ll get right on it!”</p><p>“You can finish your food first.”</p><p>“I’ll finish my food first!”</p><p>“Great, and remember, have fun!” she said walking away.</p><p>“You coward,” said Franny.</p><p>“Did you see what she did to Elliot? She’s insane!”</p><p>“She’s also a twig. You can take her.”</p><p>“She yanked something out of my stomach and lied about it to my face! I think she’s trying to establish dominance or something,” Franny paused for a moment, “Franny?”</p><p>“Look at it again,” she said, pulling up her shirt.</p><p>“Why?”</p><p>“Just do it.” Kenna checked again.</p><p>“Am I looking in the right spot?”</p><p>“Yes, why?”</p><p>“It’s gone.”</p><p>“Bitch!”</p><p>“When did she even?!”</p><p>“It must have been when we looked at Elliot!”</p><p>“Why Elliot?! Why!?” yelled Kenna.</p><p>“I am fused to a mop!” Elliot yelled back.</p><p>“And whose fault is that!?” Franny yelled back, “Do you think we can catch her?”</p><p>“To be fused into the walls never to be seen again? It’s a bold plan but I think we can pull it off.”</p><p>“Coward!”</p><p>“I believe you. Isn’t that enough?”</p><p>“I guess, so what are you going to do now?”</p><p>“Nothing?”</p><p>“They’re hiding something.”</p><p>“So? As long as it doesn’t involve me. I don’t care.”</p><p>“How do you know you’re not involved? How do you know your memories haven’t been altered too?”</p><p>“I don’t care! I could be bursting at the seams with fake memories but as long as that degree is real it doesn’t matter.”</p><p>“What are you even majoring in?”</p><p>“Literary arts.”</p><p>“Kenna.”</p><p>“I stand by that decision.”</p><p>“Kenna I’m from the literal gutter and I know that’s a worthless degree.”</p><p>“You’re a worthless degree.”</p><p>“What are you even going to use it for? And don’t tell me it’s to teach literary arts,” Kenna took another bite of food, “Really?”</p><p>“It sounds like an easy job.”</p><p>“You’re perpetuating a cycle of uselessness.”</p><p>“I’m sorry! What are your plans for the future!?”</p><p>“To survive!”</p><p>“Everybody can hear you. You know that right?” said Elliot.</p><p>“Shut up Elliot!” They both yelled.</p><p>“I’m just saying you both talk really loud!” yelled Elliot.</p><p>“I cannot think with Elliot’s constant interruptions. I’m going to bed,” said Franny.</p><p>“Aren’t you going to help clean?”</p><p>“No,” Kenna glanced at Elliot, “I refuse to be afraid of anyone that calls herself kitty.”</p><p>“That’s not her real name?”</p><p>“It’s Kathrine, I don’t know where she gets ‘kitty’ from.”</p><p>“They both start with the same letter.”</p><p>“Shut your filthy literary arts mouth,” she said, getting up.</p><p>“Wait!”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“Don’t you care about what happened to me?”</p><p>“Does it relate to my thing in any way?”</p><p>“No?”</p><p>“Then I don’t care.”</p><p>“I’m covered in bite marks! Dinosaur bite marks!”</p><p>“Yeah, why haven’t you taken care of them?”</p><p>“I think they’re cool.”</p><p>“Well good luck with that.” Once her food was consumed she begrudgingly helped clean the dining area. Which was a spectacle unto itself. Some of the students had taken to using their mutations to get the various jobs done more quickly. Or at least they tried. In the end Kenna learned that just because you can superheat your hands doesn’t mean it’s useful for drying dishes. She stuck to scrubbing with gloves, carefully. When she got back to her room there was an unfamiliar face waiting to greet her.</p><p>“Hello, I am Elizabeth Danvers. It is nice to meet you,” said the pointy eared green woman with ridges along her chin. Her accent was strange to say the least. It was almost Australian in subtle way. The outstretched hand of friendship was a nice change of pace though.</p><p>“Kenna Knox and it truly is a pleasure to meet you.”</p><p>“And what is your ability?” Kenna cocked her head at the question.</p><p>“I absorb water. Where’s Layla?”</p><p>“Ah,” Elizabeth poured herself a cup of water and threw it on her. Kenna was horrified.</p><p>“What the fuck are you doing!?” Kenna screamed as some of her wounds closed up.</p><p>“Is that steam?”</p><p>“Okay it also heals me too. Where’s Layla?”</p><p>“Who’s Layla?” she asked, filling another cup full of water.</p><p>“Don’t you dare throw that at me.”</p><p>“Relax this one is for drinking.”</p><p>“Alright, that’s fine I guess.” Elizabeth threw that cup at her too. “You said it was for drinking!”</p><p>“It was for your drinking,” she said, filling another glass. Kenna turned off the faucet. Elizabeth looked her over. “You’re bigger.”</p><p>“Do not throw water at me.” Elizabeth dropped the glass into the sink.</p><p>“Okay.”</p><p>“Layla, our roommate, was she not here when you got here?”</p><p>“The room was empty.”</p><p>“She probably knew you were coming.”</p><p>“Have I offended you?”</p><p>“Yes! Greatly! Bad first impressions!”</p><p>“Why? It was only an experiment.”</p><p>“Do not experiment on me!”</p><p>“Is that not why you are here? To test your abilities?”</p><p>“I am painfully aware of what I am capable of thank you.”</p><p>“How much water can you absorb?”</p><p>“Too much.”</p><p>“What is your rate of regeneration?”</p><p>“Fast enough.”</p><p>“What is the ratio of water to mass?”</p><p>“What is the ratio of 'none of' to 'your business'?”</p><p>“You’re useless.”</p><p>“What’s your ability!? And how long does it take you do it and other stupid questions?” Elizabeth seamlessly shifted her form to look like Kenna clothes and all. It was almost a perfect imitation except she was two inches shorter. Kenna filled a cup of water and splashed it on her. There was no change.</p><p>“Ah don’t throw water at me,” the fake Kenna mocked.</p><p>“So you can change into me, but you don’t get my stuff at all?”</p><p>“No why would I get those? I would have to be some kind of super-shapeshifter and that would be silly.”</p><p>The door opened. A heavier girl with glasses peeked in and backed out after seeing them.</p><p>“Who was that?” asked Kenna.</p><p>“I have never seen her.”</p><p>The new girl opened the door again and entered meekly.</p><p>“Um, I think you all have the wrong room.”</p><p>“Hello, I am Kenna. It's a pleasure to meet you,” she said, not even bothering to offer her hand.</p><p>“Ellie, can you please get out of my room,” said Ellie.</p><p>“Are you Layla’s roommate?” asked Kenna.</p><p>“Yeah, um, do you know where she is? She was supposed to clean the restrooms with me.”</p><p>“We clean our own restrooms?” asked Kenna.</p><p>“There’s a schedule. You might want to, um, look at it.”</p><p>“Hello, I am Elizabeth Danvers, it is nice to meet you,” Elizabeth said, stretching her hand.</p><p>“Ellie,” she said gingerly, shaking her hand.</p><p>“What is your ability?”</p><p>“Trust me, don’t tell her,” said Kenna.</p><p>“Tell me!” Elizabeth shouted squeezing her hand.</p><p>“I’m a portal!” said Ellie.</p><p>“Portal?”</p><p>“To what?” asked Kenna.</p><p>“Nothing.”</p><p>“Pure nothing. Like space?” asked Elizabeth.</p><p>“No, um, I’m sorry you can have the room. I’m sorry.” Elizabeth didn’t let go, “Please let go.”</p><p>“How are you this portal?”</p><p>“Please let me go.”</p><p>“Kenna hand me a pen.”</p><p>“I won’t lie, I am genuinely curious to see where this goes, but this is also a little messed up. You need to let her go.”</p><p>“Catch.”</p><p>“What?” Elizabeth swung Ellie around into Kenna and closed the door.</p><p>“Help!” yelled Ellie.</p><p>“Help? There’s no help. We’re just talking, like friends do. We’re friends right?”</p><p>“No we’re not.”</p><p>“And friends tell each other things.”</p><p>“No they don’t.”</p><p>“So, I know we’re not friends either but can you tell me why my hand is sinking into your back?” asked Kenna wrist deep in Ellie’s back.</p><p>“What!? Really? Let me see!” said Elizabeth.</p><p>“Oh no, can you pull it out?” asked Ellie.</p><p>“Nope, and it’s pulling me in. Uncomfortably quick,” said Kenna.</p><p>“Oh no oh no oh no,” said Ellie pulling out her phone.</p><p>“Yes,” said Elizabeth.</p><p>“Ellie, where does your back go?” asked Kenna.</p><p>“Hey, um, yeah you’re about to have company,” Ellie said into the phone.</p><p>“Who are you talking to? Where am I going!? These are things I need to know!” yelled Kenna arm deep.</p><p>“I love this! This is great! This is my favorite day!” said Elizabeth. Kenna grabbed her arm.</p><p>“What are you doing?”</p><p>“Dragging you in with me?” Kenna said before her head was pulled in.</p><p>“No! I don’t go in the portal! You go in the portal! You don’t pull me in the portal!” she said, struggling to no avail.</p><p>“Hi, um, yeah me again. Looks like you’re getting two of them,” Ellie said into the phone.</p>
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<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When the term “portal” is thrown around it conjures up images of short but brilliant transitions from one location to another. Kenna experienced none of that. No, much to the horror of everyone in the room Kenna was forced out the other side through some dude’s chest with Elizabeth in tow. Where she was promptly ran through with a Japanese sword. With the few seconds of life and consciousness she had left she tried to reach a nearby sink, but the two other men there held her back trying to provide aid in their own panicky way. She slumped to the ground. Shock began to set in with all the sights and sounds around her fading away. In the confusion Elizabeth calmly poured water into a glass.</p><p>“Hey guys, check this out,” said Elizabeth, pouring water on Kenna’s gaping sword wound. Steam erupted from the torn flesh to the surprise of the others. They backed off.</p><p>“Who the fuck,” Kenna stammered to her feet, “Who the fuck stabbed me!?” Even with the room filled with a layer steam it felt familiar. It was laid out like her room with the standard two beds and a sink she had been acquainted with but there were three men in this room. Or, at least there was. When the steam cleared there were only two now. One of them was a broom free Elliot and the other was a trim South African with an extra left arm. Elizabeth, still wearing Kenna’s face, was standing behind imitating everything she was doing. “Well!?”</p><p>“Are you okay?” asked the multiarmed man.</p><p>“Yes! Just fantastic! I woke up this morning and thought it would be really cool to get re-birthed and killed all the same time! It really brings this mortal coil into perspective!” Kenna looked over shoulder at Elizabeth, “Thank you by the way, that was very nice of you to not let me die.” Elizabeth ended her mockery long enough to give her a thumbs up. “Now who stabbed me!? It’s not like I can do anything about it right now but I have words! Lots of loud words that I want to hurt you with emotionally!”</p><p>“Please keep your voice down.”</p><p>“I just got stabbed! I think I get a pass to be as loud and obnoxious as I want!”</p><p>“I beg of you please keep your voice down. You’re not supposed to be here.”</p><p>“Where is here!? Who are you!? Why is Elliot huddled up in the corner covering his mouth!?”</p><p>“Okay, yes, I think I know what you need,” he said approaching her.</p><p>“Whoa now! You stay where you are! I have, powers?” He gently guided her to a chair, sat her down, and massaged her neck and shoulders at the same time. “What is this? What’s going on?”</p><p>“Relax chest child.”</p><p>“You can’t just!” The tension left her back, “Okay, you get five minutes of silent Kenna and you better use that to explain everything.”.</p><p>“My name is Chudame,”</p><p>“Again, Kenna, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”</p><p>“But you may call me Chu Chu.”</p><p>“Did you mutate into some kind of wonderful multi armed masseuse? Cause that is what I’m getting from you right now.”</p><p>“Do you know my friend over there?”</p><p>“Yeah I saw him in the dining hall with a mop through his arms.”</p><p>“Ah, then it would be safe to assume you are a student here at the Xavier Institute.”</p><p>“I thought this was Xavier’s school for gifted youngsters?”</p><p>“I could be saying it wrong.”</p><p>“The Xavier Institute makes this place sound like an insane asylum.”</p><p>“Either way you are in the men’s dormitory.”</p><p>“Maybe this is an insane asylum. This has been a crazy day.”</p><p>“Where a Mr. Logan said he would castrate anybody who was caught with a woman in their room so fast they wouldn’t realize it until they took a piss.”</p><p>“Or is this normal. Maybe this is just my life now. Wait, what?”</p><p>“I thought he was making a joke or maybe I didn’t understand him correctly, but he wasn’t laughing.”</p><p>“But a woman is what I am.”</p><p>“Then a long blade sprouted out of his fist that he used to cut off the top of a beer bottle like it was nothing.”</p><p>“And that is what she is. And we are here in your dorm.”</p><p>“So do you now understand why you need to keep quiet.”</p><p>“Yes, very much so.”</p><p>“Well ‘she’ is going to scream if ‘she’ doesn’t get a turn,” said Elizabeth pulling Kenna away from him to take her place. Chu chu just kept on going hoping he could massage his way out of this predicament.</p><p>“That being said I still want to know who stabbed me.”</p><p>“Only if both of you promise to leave.”</p><p>“Sure.”</p><p>“He’s a Japanese boy named Yuuto.”</p><p>“Where did he go?”</p><p>“I don’t know. This is the first time I’ve seen him do anything other than listen to music.”</p><p>“Ugh, I’ll find him later. So how does this work? Do we just go back through your chest or what?” she asked, turning towards Elliot. He was still huddled in the corner with clenched hands across his face. “It’s not toxic.” He dropped his hands and took a breath in relief. “At least I don’t think it is. I’ve never heard any complaints.” His hands went back over his face. “Whatever I don’t even need you for this part.” She touched his stomach, but nothing happened. She continued to feel around the general area where she emerged from with various degrees of pressure, and still nothing happened. She even turned him over and tried to enter from his back thinking that she would come out of Ellie's front this time, but even that proved to be fruitless. </p><p>“Elliot, why isn’t your side of the portal working?” she asked calmly. He didn’t answer her. Still adamant about trying to breath in as little of the air as possible his hands remained sealed around his mouth. She considered forcing him to breath in the air and accept whatever fate awaited him, until the phone on his bed rang. He was receiving a call from Ellie.</p><p>“Hey, this is Kenna. Why isn’t Elliot’s portal working?” Kenna answered, grabbing the phone before Elliot could stop her.</p><p>“Can I, um, speak to my brother please?” said Ellie.</p><p>“Mutation! Explain! Now!”</p><p>“We’re a one way portal! People go through my back and out of his front! It sanitizes anything that goes through! That’s all I know!”</p><p>“That’s stupid! You’re both stupid!”</p><p>“Keep your voice down,” said Chudame.</p><p>“Please don’t kill my brother!” Kenna hung up. </p><p>“Okay, so we can’t go back the way we came apparently. Any ideas?” asked Kenna.</p><p>“Walk out of the building as quickly and quietly as possible,” said Chudame.</p><p>“Ugh, I should call her back and apologize. Their thing isn’t stupid, I’m just angry about being stabbed.”</p><p>“If you are stopped just tell them what happened.” Kenna looked out the window.</p><p>“It’s too high to jump.”</p><p>“I’m sure Xavier would understand.”</p><p>“Maybe a disguise? Maybe that thing where I wrap my hair around my face like a beard?”</p><p>“Are you listening to me?” Someone knocked on the door.</p><p>“Hello, it’s John Proudstar from earlier. May I come in?” said John through the door. They all stared at each other expecting the other to say something until Chudame finally spoke up.</p><p>“No.”</p><p>“I understand that it is a bit late, and you guys are really tired from your first day, but it sounds like we need to have a quick chat.” he said unlocking the door. Kenna frantically wrapped her hair around her face in a beard like fashion as Chudame threw a blanket over Elizabeth. Just before the door opened though the wall slid open and a chain was thrown around Kenna. She was pulled in. “Now I know that you all come from different walks of life with different ways of living but we all need to be both respectful of others and–,” the large Native American stopped mid-sentence to acknowledge the blood on the floor and the student cowering the corner covering his mouth, “Are you alright kiddo?”</p><p>“I had a nosebleed!” yelled Elliot.</p><p>“Mr. Proudstar, I’m so sorry. There was an accident. Two girls came out of Elliot’s chest and one of them was hurt but then she was fine and I know how this sounds but we didn’t bring them here!” John looked around the room and pointed at the person draped with a bed sheet. Chudame nodded.</p><p>“Excuse me ma’am,” John said, pulling the blanket off. However, instead of Kenna’s twin they found Chudame’s with one less arm. </p><p>“Hello my name is Mudame, but you may call me Moo Moo.” said Elizabeth in Chudame’s voice.</p><p>“I don’t know who this is,” said Chudame.</p><p>“How can you say that to me brother? After I came all this way to see you.”</p><p>“It’s okay Chudame, I understand. I too have a brother that I miss very much,” said John.</p><p>“Is he dead?” asked Elizabeth.</p><p>“No he, uh, his life took him down a different path.”</p><p>“Interesting, did he have any abilities?”</p><p>“I’m telling you this isn’t my brother and the other one was pulled into that wall right before you came in here!” said Chudame. </p><p>Kenna didn’t move. Maybe it was the cramped nature of being squished behind a fake wall. Maybe it was the knife pressed against her throat by the adolescent boy that pulled her in. Either way her situation was more limiting than usual. “You’re the one that stabbed me aren’t you?” whispered Kenna. The knife pressed a little harder. “I am very mad at you.” Yuuto pressed another knife against her ribs. “No keep going. Give me even more reason to scream. My flesh will grow back, but I doubt your nuts will.” He withdrew the knives. “Yeah that’s what I thought.” </p><p>John knocked on the wall. Yuuto’s replica wasn’t perfect but the mansion had been damaged and repaired so many times John couldn’t tell the difference. “And you’re sure she was pulled into this wall?” asked John.</p><p>“Yes!” said Chudame.</p><p>“Well, while I’m against needless destruction I would regret leaving her in there all night. Please stand back and shield your eyes students. I’m going to open the wall.”</p><p>“What?” whispered Kenna. John drove his hand in the wall and began taking it apart. Kenna and Yuuto sank lower to avoid being immediately found, but with their hideaway crumbling apart they could do nothing other than cram themselves deeper into darker crevices. Until Kenna fell through one. </p><p>“Yuuto there you are, you rascal. Did you pull a nice young lady into this elaborate hide out you’ve made for yourself?” John asked, pulling away the last of the fake wall. Yuuto said nothing, but the speed in which he was talking with his hands was difficult to follow let alone understand. “Yuuto, champ, you got to use your note cards. I don’t understand sign language let alone Japanese sign language.”</p><p>Kenna was getting tired of being pulled through things that people aren’t generally pulled through. However, it was different this time. There was no tactile way to describe how she felt about her new surroundings other than an overwhelming sense that she wasn’t supposed to be there. The room she had slid herself into had the exact same dimensions as the one before except it was barren of any of the normal amenities she had seen at the school before. No beds, no plumbing, hardly any light. It was like a version of the school that had not been finished. What little was in the room looked like sophisticated electronic equipment. Kenna was by no means scientifically minded, but she could tell from the lights it seemed excited to see her.</p><p>The hole she had squeezed through had sealed itself like a fleshy scab. Her egress wasn’t very inviting but as far as she knew it was her only way back. So she pressed against it hoping she would fall through like she did before. While it did begin to accept her, it also started bleeding. Kenna backed off. The notion of a bleeding wall was enough to make her more than a little uncomfortable. It took her a moment to work up to another attempt, but when she was just about to she heard a noise. It was footsteps. Heavy methodical footsteps that got louder with each step giving away its mechanical nature.</p><p>	The robot, if it could be called that, kicked open the door. It was essentially a large battery with rudimentary arms, legs, and whirling cameras attached to it. Kenna was not about to point any of this out though since it was pointing a high grade rifle at her. She put her hands up, but the robot pushed her head down and put shots through the window. “I see you’re busy mister,” she looked at it’s chassis, “Property of A.I.M, but I should probably be going.” It grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the room while still putting shots on target. </p><p>“Seriously!? Can I just have a moment to breath!? Is that so much to ask for!?” she yelled while being dragged down barren halls illuminated by only hanging lights. As they went, the walls told a different story. One of the munitions fire and monstrous remains. She even tripped over the sheer amount of shell casings covering the floor. The robot paid her no mind and even pulled her across the floor like nothing had changed. The journey ended at the foyer where instead of ornate decorations that give one a sense of formal academia there was a large yellow metal box sitting just underneath the indoor balcony. Sensing the robot’s return the box opened up to receive its guests.</p><p>“Oh no. No no no!” Kenna grabbed the partially made banister leading up to the balcony. The robot was not amused. It was having a hard enough time keeping the skittering inhabitants at bay without having to deal with her resistance. The issue became even more pressing as it ran out of bullets. It only let go of Kenna for an instant to switch out magazines. It was also all the time she needed to get out of reach. </p><p>She ran up the stairs. The robot gave chase and had greater speed then its design led her to believe. Even before it could get to her on the balcony she was stopped by the sight of what it had been shooting at all this time. A large locust bleedings from its eyes blocked her path. Even worse as it acknowledged her it began shrieking while shaking its head back and forth. She was so taken back by its visage that she fell over backwards narrowly avoiding its lunge. The robot was not so fortunate. With its wings flared out the insectoid had caught it by surprise and was tearing its rough construction apart. Kenna crawled to the edge of the balcony to weigh her options. The cube was still open, but more importantly there appeared to be a large scab much like the one she had seen earlier on the floor below. </p><p>She looked back to see how the robot was fairing against it. The creature was having more trouble breaking the battery then had ripping most of the appendages off. It shrieked again before posturing back towards Kenna. It lunged, but the robot managed to grab it with its last arm hindering it considerably. She looked back at the floor scab, groaned, and carefully dropped off the balcony into its crusty embrace. </p><p>	She dropped feet first and passed through easily enough. Upon passing through the threshold she found herself falling towards the ceiling, then not falling at all, then falling back towards the floor. As fortunate as it was unfortunate the passage had closed behind her sending her plummeting into the hardwood floor. The impact was painful. Despite this she relished in the fact that she was in one spot for more than five minutes at a time. The unmoving floor was her friend and would never betray her. </p><p>“You seem to have a guest,” said a figure not too far from her with an otherworldly voice.</p><p>“You’re wasting time we don’t have. Keep going.” said the other figure with a heavy Kentucky accent. Finding herself with company she, with great discomfort, turned her head to see what she had to deal with now. The one person she could see clearly was a young woman basking in the moonlight coming in from the foyer windows. The other one that she could barely see in the shadows appeared to be a well dressed man with a bird skull for a head.</p><p>“Perhaps another time Ms. Guthrie,” the well dressed bird skull man said, fading into the shadows. </p><p>“But there’s only three moons left! Are you listening to me!? We don’t have another time! Khonshu!” the woman yelled at the moon. The moon didn’t answer her. Ms. Guthrie turned towards Kenna with rage across her face.</p><p>“Hello, my name is Kenna, and it’s a pleasure to–,” Ms. Guthrie pulled the skin off her right arm causing it to erupt into an inferno, “Fuck.”</p><p>“You have no idea what you’ve done,” said Ms. Guthrie as she walked towards her.</p><p>“I really don’t,” said Kenna.</p><p>“And now you never will.”</p><p>“Okay, so, fair warning. While I was near the ceiling I noticed there were several sprinklers up there. So while burning me death sounds like a good idea it’s just going to make the night much longer for the both of us.”</p><p>“Oh trust me, sprinklers won’t be able to put this out.”</p><p>“Yeah, but it will trigger my mutation.”</p><p>“Mutation?”</p><p>“You’re probably familiar with my work. I call it ‘wounded dorms’.”</p><p>“You’re a student?”</p><p>“Yes?” Ms. Guthrie pulled off the fiery layer of her arm and smothered it with another layer of skin made of fire resistant minerals. Without another word, and her arm back to normal, she dumped the various layers of skin into a garbage receptacle and walked away. “What did you think I was?” Kenna asked without an answer.</p><p>A welcomed quiet filled the air. Nothing was happening. Kenna finally had her moment to breathe and absorb everything that just happened. “This place is weird,” she said to herself. She flopped onto her back and scooted her way back to her room. It was an agonizing journey. The stairs were especially difficult given her fragile state and the looks she got from the odd person were de-moralizing, but the idea of getting to a bed of any kind kept her going. </p><p>“Hello?” asked Ellie, answering the door.</p><p>“Down here,” said Kenna. Ellie looked at her and tried to close the door on her. Kenna fought her off, aggressively scooting her way in. </p><p>“I, I told you. This isn’t your room. Please get out.”</p><p>“Ellie! Ellie. I don’t care. I’m sleeping here tonight.” As Kenna scooted further into the room she noticed Ellie was the only person in there. “Where’s the other two?”</p><p>“Layla hasn’t come back yet. I thought Elizabeth was with you.”</p><p>“She was but we got separated.”</p><p>“What did you do to my brother? Is he okay?”</p><p>“He's fine?”</p><p>“Are you sure?”</p><p>“There might have been some talk about cutting off his nuts.”</p><p>“Excuse me!?”</p><p>“Calm down, they’ll only do that if they find out we were over there,” she said pulling herself onto a bed.</p><p>“Oh no.”</p><p>“Which they won’t! Elizabeth turned into a dude and I got away before anybody noticed.” Ellie grabbed her phone to call Elliot again. “No offense Ellie, but your brother’s nuts don’t even make my top ten of things I’m worried about.” Kitty opened the door. “And there’s ten through six right walking in right now.” She looked exhausted and covered in claw marks.</p><p>“Where have you been?” asked Kitty. Kenna looked at Ellie who looked back at her.</p><p>“Here?”</p><p>“Where’s Elizabeth and Layla?”</p><p>“I don’t know?”</p><p>“Did they go to the men’s dorm with you?”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“Why do you have blood all over your shirt?”</p><p>“It’s not blood. It’s ketchup.”</p><p>“Okay, why do you have ketchup all over your shirt.”</p><p>“I really love ketchup.”</p><p>“So you put it on your shirt.”</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>“Stop it.”</p><p>“But it reminds me of home.”</p><p>“Stop lying to me. You’re bad at it.”</p><p>“No I’m not.” Kitty let out a heavy sigh and sat down on the bed next to her.</p><p>“I’m going to level with you both. I’m tired, and I don’t know if you were there or not, but there’s a very good reason we have separate dorms.”</p><p>“Because of the implication?”</p><p>“Because we are already unstable horny idiots without our gifts, and I can’t be everywhere at once. And some of them are starting to figure that out already.”</p><p>“Kitty, may I ask you a question?”</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>“Where’s Franny?”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Well, good luck with that,” said Franny before she left the dining hall. To say she wasn’t worried about the one that called herself “Kitty” would have been a stretch. The sight of that mop phased unnaturally through Elliot’s arms was more than enough to give her pause. A pause is all she would get though. To Franny she was nothing but a small animal trying to make herself look more threatening than she actually was. Not unlike the obnoxious hissing feline she named herself after. </p>
<p>“I'm going to give you,” Kitty looked at the alarm clock next to her bed, “One minute, to tell me who you are and what you’re doing in here.” Hugging Kitty’s ceiling in complete darkness Franny thought herself nearly invisible. The clock face changed. “Every damn year,” Kitty looked through a notebook on her bedside table, “Applesauce.” Once she uttered the words the room began to lock itself down. Once she was sure the room had completely sealed itself off she turned on the lights. </p>
<p>“How?” asked Franny.</p>
<p>“You, smell, terrible.” While Franny sniffed herself Kitty jumped up and phased her hands and feet into the ceiling.</p>
<p>“Well, shit,” said Franny, unable to move.</p>
<p>“What are you doing in our room?”</p>
<p>“Our?” Kitty pointed to the other bed covered in pillows.</p>
<p>“Katherine,” crackled the hidden speaker.</p>
<p>“I’m fine, Anna’s fine too. A student snuck into our room. I’ll take care of it.” said Kitty.</p>
<p>“Do you still need the panic room up?”</p>
<p>“Yeah leave it up for another hour. I got some mentoring to do.”</p>
<p>“Understood.”</p>
<p>“Now, what to do with you?” Kitty said looking back up at Franny.</p>
<p>“Where is it?” said Franny.</p>
<p>“Where’s what?”</p>
<p>“That thing you took from my body.”</p>
<p>“You mean that gross bug leg that was lodged in your side?”</p>
<p>“Yes.”</p>
<p>“I don’t know anything about it.”</p>
<p>“So it’s going to be like that.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, it is.”</p>
<p>“You’re hiding something.”</p>
<p>“Obviously.”</p>
<p>“Why?”</p>
<p>“Cause you’re here to learn and gross bug legs is noise you don’t need.”</p>
<p>“I don’t need to die either, but that’s already happened hasn’t it!” Kitty was taken back.</p>
<p>“Who told you that?”</p>
<p>“Even if I knew why would I tell you?”</p>
<p>“Did he have pink hair?”</p>
<p>“Like I said, I don’t know. He said he’d erase himself from my memory after we were done.”</p>
<p>“If it’s who I think it is I wouldn’t trust him. He’s kind of a total asshole.”</p>
<p>“You’re an asshole!” Franny yelled.</p>
<p>“If you think I’m an asshole you would have hated Karma. She’d possess anybody that even slightly raised their voice to her.”</p>
<p>“Yes that’s very different than what’s going on right now.”</p>
<p>“Oh it is. It got so bad she had to switch with me.”</p>
<p>“Your identity is utterly and completely wrapped up in your gimmick. So much so that without it you’re nothing and because of that you feel the need to flex on everything and everyone.” Kitty’s face turned red. Flustered by the very notion she couldn’t decide on which word to land on.</p>
<p>“Okay,” Kitty said calmly.</p>
<p>“Okay what?” asked Franny. Kitty yanked on her lure light releasing her from the ceiling. “Hey! I don’t care who you are, you don’t get to touch that! Wait, what are you doing?” Rolling up her pajama sleeve Kitty plunged her arm down into the mountain of pillows on Anna’s bed. She convulsed, but only for a moment while black veins traveled up her arm. </p>
<p>“There,” she said, pulling her arm out, “No more gimmicks.” Franny looked her over, she was sweating profusely. She gently threw a notepad. It hit Kitty on the shoulder.</p>
<p>“You’re baiting me.”</p>
<p>“No, go on. I know you want to.”</p>
<p>“I don’t think they’d look kindly upon me maiming a staff member.”</p>
<p>“I’ll make an exception.”</p>
<p>“That’s all good right now, but what about when the walls open up?”</p>
<p>“Hey Tessa.”</p>
<p>“Approved,” crackled the speaker.</p>
<p>“There, see, no consequences.” Franny looked at her trying to gauge how serious she was about this little stunt. She didn’t believe for a minute that Kitty had crippled herself as much as she was trying to let on, but still. Franny got close enough to run her claws across Kitty’s neck. Just hard enough to draw blood.</p>
<p>“Where is it?” asked Franny. As the words left her mouth Kitty twisted Franny’s arm behind her and pressed her against the wall.</p>
<p>“I am part of the X-Men! I was a member of Excalibur! I was a member of S.H.I.E.L.D! I was trained by Wolverine! I am more than qualified to deal with any of you with or without my gifts!” Franny flipped her dangly lure light over her head in front of Kitty’s face. The appendage flashed a brief but intense light blinding her. The assault on her eyes was enough to let Franny slip out of the hold and into aggressive posture.</p>
<p>They laid into each other for what must have felt like forever, but in reality was more like fifteen minutes. Franny’s experience fighting for survival in the unforgiving sewers of New York made her quite smart about where and when to stick her claws, but Kitty had fought far worse with far less. Only when her own lure light was wrapped around her throat and no air was getting to her lungs did Franny finally stop fighting. Kitty released her right before she passed out.</p>
<p>“So what did we learn?” asked Kitty.</p>
<p>“It’s not in here,” Franny coughed while untangling her appendage.</p>
<p>“What’s not in here?”</p>
<p>“Whatever you pulled out of me isn’t in this room.” Kitty looked around. All of the furniture had been either clawed open or broken altogether in the fight. Even Anna’s side of the room hadn’t been spared.</p>
<p>“Fuck”</p>
<p>“You could have just told me where it was.”</p>
<p>“No not that.” Kitty dug through what was left of Anna’s pillow fort. She was gone. “She must have phased through in her sleep.”</p>
<p>“She can phase too?”</p>
<p>“No, Anna can use other mutant’s gifts. It’s a long story that we don’t have time to get into. Tessa, open the doors please.”</p>
<p>“Well good luck with that.”</p>
<p>“Oh no, you’re coming with me,” Kitty said, putting in an earpiece.</p>
<p>“Okay, why?”</p>
<p>“It’s not like a need a reason, but this is all your fault.”</p>
<p>“No it isn’t and you can’t just conscript students randomly.”</p>
<p>“As long as it’s for safety purposes I can. It’s in our bylaws.”</p>
<p>“Who’s in danger here?”</p>
<p>“Everybody, just come on,” she said, grabbing Franny by her forehead light. Kitty pulled a resistant Franny out into the hall and down the stairs until they reached the room right underneath them. The door was already open and the lights were off.</p>
<p>“Stick your head in there and give me a situation report.” Franny glared at her.</p>
<p>“You only brought me a flashlight didn’t you?”</p>
<p>“That and I’m, like, about to collapse at any moment.”</p>
<p>“I am not going in there unless you tell me what Anna’s deal is first.”</p>
<p>“If you touch her she takes all of your shit and it feels like death.”</p>
<p>“Define shit.”</p>
<p>“Natural abilities and memories.”</p>
<p>“So if I touched her she’d turn blue and grow fingernail claws?”</p>
<p>“If she touched you long enough yes.”</p>
<p>“Like forever?”</p>
<p>“No.”</p>
<p>“Interesting.” Franny turned her head light and looked into the room.</p>
<p>“There’s two people in the room. Anna is still asleep and hanging from the ceiling while Yare is stone right now.”</p>
<p>“Yare?”</p>
<p>“She’s a Morlock. Something shoots out of her skin at night that hardens into a protective shell. Shouldn’t you know this?”</p>
<p>“I don’t have my list with me.” They walked into the room. Anna was gently swinging by one foot still partially phased into the structure.</p>
<p>“How is she still asleep?”</p>
<p>“Heavy sleep aids.”</p>
<p>“Because of all the mutants that sneak into your room?”</p>
<p>“Because not all of the memories go away.”</p>
<p>“Oh.”</p>
<p>“Yeah.”</p>
<p>“So how do we get her down?”</p>
<p>“Spread a blanket and some pillows on the ground. I’ll phase her out of the ceiling and we’ll wrap her up. Then we’ll call John so he can carry her back up stairs.”</p>
<p>“First, who’s John?” asked Franny as they prepared.</p>
<p>“He’s like me for the men’s dorm. He should still be up.”</p>
<p>“Second, what’s to stop her from phasing through the blanket?”</p>
<p>“Nothing really, but it shouldn’t happen again tonight.”</p>
<p>“Why shouldn’t it happen again?”</p>
<p>“Personal experience.”</p>
<p>“Third,” Franny said before shoving Kitty’s face into a patch of Anna’s exposed skin, “Don’t ever grab my headlight ever again.” Kitty collapsed to the ground unconscious. Franny fished her earpiece out and put it in.</p>
<p>“Tessa is it?” Franny asked.</p>
<p>“Please, call me Sage,” said the earpiece.</p>
<p>“Okay, is that supposed to mean anything to me?”</p>
<p>“It should.”</p>
<p>“Well it doesn’t. So where is it?”</p>
<p>“The sample Kitty so kindly removed from you is in the lab, down here, with me.”</p>
<p>“I’d guess it be too much to ask for you to give it back?”</p>
<p>“On the contrary, I’ll have it ready for you when you arrive.”</p>
<p>“No, I think you’re going to bring it to me.”</p>
<p>“Oh? Now why would I do that?”</p>
<p>“Because I’ll kill Kitty and Anna if you don’t.”</p>
<p>“Poor Elixir, he's always so busy around this time of year.”</p>
<p>“Fine where are you?”</p>
<p>“Just follow the lights.” The floor outside the room illuminated with directional lights leading towards the main building. She begrudgingly followed them throughout the mansion, passing some lady with skin issues, down an elevator, and into a dull chrome meeting room. At the head of the table was a woman with short black hair wearing a black uniform and sunglasses. In front of her sat a small box on the table.</p>
<p>“Hello Franny, would you care for a sit?”</p>
<p>“I’ll stand.”</p>
<p>“As you wish. However, I assure you there are no hidden restraints in these chairs. Nor any comically villainous pit falls, lasers-grids, or swarms of carnivorous robots awaiting in the walls.”</p>
<p>“Could have fooled me by the metal walls that come down every once in a while.”</p>
<p>“An expensive, but necessary precaution. Student safety is our top priority here. Whether it be from external, or internal threats.”</p>
<p>“Is that it on the table?”</p>
<p>“Yes.”</p>
<p>“Slide it to me.” Sage slid the box across the table towards her.</p>
<p>“What did you do to it?”</p>
<p>“Nothing.” Franny opened the box. She had never actually seen it outside her body before.</p>
<p>“How do I know this is real?”</p>
<p>“The fact is, Franny, there is no way for you to tell and there is no way for me to show. Even if we displayed the trace amounts of your own DNA on that thing’s carapace you’d believe we put it there to deceive you.”</p>
<p>“You people went into my head and fed me lies. I have every right to question everything. There’s a chance I’m not even really here talking to you.”</p>
<p>“There-”</p>
<p>“There was no power outage was there? You needed to keep everyone dumb and deaf. And when I escaped I saw something I wasn’t supposed to. So you killed me, but you knew my disappearance would raise questions. You had to change the narrative.”</p>
<p>“There was a perimeter breach. We kept the panic rooms up for the safety of the student body. Actions were taken that caused power interruptions. And when you broke out the intruder found you before we could. Professor Xavier simply didn’t want you to be burdened with the knowledge of what death felt like. So, against his own ethics and moral compass he implanted memories that implied otherwise. Just so you’d not have to suffer more than you already have.”</p>
<p>“That’s the best you can come up with? I know I put you on the spot but, come on.”</p>
<p>“Perhaps you need a reminder.” Franny’s arm fell apart before her into nice little chunks on the floor. She didn’t feel anything, but the grotesque display paralyzed her. Before she could even face the door she fell over. Her legs were crushed and ripped apart like hamburger meat. Every second that passed another piece of her fell off in a grizzly fashion until she was hardly more than picked carcass. Then, all at once, she was whole again. Gasping for breath.</p>
<p>“He did his best to paint over the scars, but there are some things the body doesn’t forget,” said Sage. Franny slowly picked herself off the ground without a word. “A bit of sage advice,” she said chuckling to herself, “This is a school. Learn to learn.” Franny nodded. “Is there anything else I can do for you Franny?” She shook her head. “Well then, report to Kathrine in the morning for your course corrective instructions. In the future if you have any similar concerns please consider making an appointment with me instead of assaulting our staff.</p>
<p>With the sample in hand Franny walked back to the dorm without argument. It was a more surreal experience than usual for her. She was now a jigsaw puzzle with an awareness of how every piece fit together. Every step carried with it the feeling that an imaginary seam was going to break.</p>
<p>                She was instantly noticed when she entered the room. The room she was reassigned to already had three other occupants settling down for the night and they were not yet acquainted with her or her natural aroma. “Hey, can we help you?” asked the girl with antlers sitting cross-legged on a bed.</p>
<p>“Dude, I don’t want to be mean, but you’re burning my eyes right now with that smell,” said the blue haired girl standing in the middle of the room with sleek metal gauntlets.</p>
<p>“Where do I sleep?” asked Franny seeing that the other bed was occupied by another girl. She had long blond hair with a horizontal black stripe right above the shoulders and smiled with great interest at the situation unfolding. </p>
<p>“Not in here.” Franny pushed past her, grabbed a blanket, and crawled underneath the bed. The blue haired girl adjusted a dial on her gauntlet emitting a low hum. She only touched the metal bed frame for a second but it was enough to make the entire bed jump with surprised shriek. Franny crawled back out from under the bed. “Do not do that again,” said Fanny standing back up.</p>
<p>“That was a low setting. If you don’t leave I’m going to turn this bad boy up.” Franny swiftly swung her arm above her head. The claws were out and tiny lines of red were forming on the blue haired girl’s face.</p>
<p>“Really not in the mood for this.” The blue haired girl turned the dial up creating a louder hum. Franny popped the rest of her claws and sized up which vein to sever. The silent smiling girl hopped up off the bed. Great orbs of fire flared above her hands with an intensity only matched by her own. It caught the other two off guard so much that they forgot each other and only knew of the flickering flames before them. </p>
<p>The fire alarm sounded. Water spewed from the ceiling as the sprinkler systems answered the call. The girl with the blue hair turned down the dial. “Hold on,” said the elemental girl. She raised her arms into the air forcing all the water in the room towards the ceiling. Even as more water filled the room it was now only filled from the ceiling down. “There,” she said as flames manifested above her hands once again.</p>
<p>“You triggered the fire you dumb bitch! We have to leave the building now,” said the blue haired girl.</p>
<p>“Right…that’s a thing here.” said the elemental.</p>
<p>“Franny,” said the earpiece still in Franny’s ear. She turned around while the others were talking.</p>
<p>“It wasn’t me.”</p>
<p>“I’m sadly aware of the situation.”</p>
<p>“Can you turn the fire alarm off?”</p>
<p>“No, and to complicate the matter further the local fire department has been dispatched to our location.”</p>
<p>“So?”</p>
<p>“This has the potential to be a volatile situation.”</p>
<p>“Well, once again, good luck with that.”</p>
<p>“Grab something to write with and write on. When everybody evacuates to the designated meeting area get everybody’s names and feed them back to me.”</p>
<p>“No,”</p>
<p>“Oh?”</p>
<p>“I don’t, I feel.”</p>
<p>“Vulnerable?”</p>
<p>“Comparable.”</p>
<p>“I understand, the burden of taking names is a heavy one. It was wrong of me to ask. Please return the earpiece to its original owner. I’m sure she’ll manage despite the circumstances.”</p>
<p>“Isn’t there anybody else that can do this?”</p>
<p>“Many of the staff and faculty are out on deployment, the ones that are here are preparing for the worst.”</p>
<p>“Fine, but for the record I think you’re freaking out over nothing.”</p>
<p>“Noted, since you will be operating on behalf of Xavier's school for gifted youngsters I need to give you an official designation to use on this channel.”</p>
<p>“Sure.”</p>
<p>“I will refer to you as Glow-stick moving forward.”</p>
<p>“No you won’t. That’s a stupid name.”</p>
<p>“Your complaint is noted, good luck Glow-stick.” Franny groaned while turning around to address her roommates. Only the girl with the antlers was left in the room. The others had already left.</p>
<p>“I guess we should go too.”</p>
<p>“I’m not going outside,” said the antlered girl.</p>
<p>“You have to. This is apparently a volatile situation.”</p>
<p>“If I go outside they’ll find me.”</p>
<p>“Who?”</p>
<p>“The animals.”</p>
<p>“I think you’re safe from a couple of squirrels and the odd deer.”</p>
<p>“And birds.”</p>
<p>“Okay, birds too I guess.”</p>
<p>“And fish.”</p>
<p>“You’re right, there’s a lot of different fauna in the woods.”</p>
<p>“And frogs.” Franny cut her cheek. “Ow.”</p>
<p>“I have zero patience for this crap. Go outside.”</p>
<p>                The orientation had covered this. In the event of a fire follow the lights to the basketball court behind the mansion. There they would confirm everybody was safe and wait out the event in whatever direction it took. Franny found it to be one of the more interesting parts of the long dry presentation. The Morlocks had nothing like this in their society and before she was only able to observe, from the outside, how the surface dealt with such an ordeal. Which is why she was so mad to find that not as many of her peers here listened to it. Knowing she’d probably be told to go back for them she used her own special brand of negative reinforcement to herd the straying crowd to where they needed to go.</p>
<p>                “Everybody shut the fuck up and listen!” Franny yelled from atop a basketball goal, “I don’t care that you’re cold! I don’t care that you’re tired! I don’t care if you’re some antler girl named Lin that various animals keep trying to drag into the woods. It’s the sketchiest shit I’ve ever seen. I’m not sure what’s up with that but the fire seems to be helping. Good job Crystal.”</p>
<p>“You’re welcome!” said the elemental.</p>
<p>“So we’re going to do this again! When I point to you, tell me your name, and then move to the other side of the court. You’d think this would be simple stuff, but here we are three tries in with three different lists of names! I think some of you are just making up names at this point. So we’re going to do this one last time and whatever name you give me is who you’re going to be from now on! If I learn that you go under another name then one you gave me after today and shatter my fragile little world I will consume you to protect my sanity!” With her motivational words still ringing in their tired ears they went through one more headcount.</p>
<p>“Sage did you get all that!?” asked Franny.</p>
<p>“You’re missing four people.”</p>
<p>“Give me names!”</p>
<p>“Elizabeth Danvers, Paige Guthrie, Kenna Knox, and Layla Miller.”</p>
<p>“Does anybody know where Elizabeth Danvers, Paige Guthrie, Kenna Knox, or Layla Miller is!?” Franny yelled to the crowd.</p>
<p>“Um, I know where Kenna and Elizabeth is, sort of,” said Ellie meekly. Franny jumped down to her.</p>
<p>“Where!?” she asked, grabbing her shoulders.</p>
<p>“They’re in Elliot’s room!”</p>
<p>“Did you get that Sage?”</p>
<p>“I’m not seeing them there,” said Sage.</p>
<p>“Are you sure!?” Franny asked Ellie.</p>
<p>“Yes! I sent them there!” said Ellie.</p>
<p>“What!?”</p>
<p>“I’m a portal!”</p>
<p>“What?”</p>
<p>“Why do I keep telling people that!?”</p>
<p>“Where’s Elliot’s room!?”</p>
<p>“I don’t know! Please don’t use me!”</p>
<p>“Ugh! Everybody stay here for a hot minute! Crystal if they move light them on fire.” Franny backed up and pulled up her shirt. With a low grunt great shimmering dragonfly like wings sprouted from her back. They flapped with greater and greater intensity until she flew into the night with all the grace and majesty of a fuming firefly. The crowd looked back towards the elemental who simply stood there with fireball in hand.</p>
<p>         Franny knocked on the window. She had been crawling around the outside of the men’s dorms confidently shining her light into every room with little regard as to who saw her until she spotted Elliot cleaning debris off the floor. He was not pleased to see her either.</p>
<p>“Open the window,” said Franny. Elliot shook his head. Franny pressed her claws into the glass. “Open the window, now.”</p>
<p>“What do you even want!?”</p>
<p>“Where are they?”</p>
<p>“Who!?”</p>
<p>“The mouthy girl and some other girl.”</p>
<p>“John took Elizabeth to the airport! I don’t know where Kenna is!”</p>
<p>“Explain.”</p>
<p>“John thought Elizabeth was Chu Chu’s brother that snuck into see him so he drove him back to the airport! Kenna just kind of disappeared.”</p>
<p>“Explain better.”</p>
<p>“She was pulled into a fake wall and when the wall was opened up she was gone!”</p>
<p>“Gone?”</p>
<p>“Gone!”</p>
<p>“In the wall.”</p>
<p>“Yes!”</p>
<p>“Kitty.”</p>
<p>“Kitty?”</p>
<p>“Kitty!” yelled Franny spiraling back into the air.</p>
<p>                Kitty was not passed out on the floor where she left her. Neither was Anna still hanging from the ceiling from her leg. The alarm was off and an eerie silence replaced what had been a vocal building. Even her breath seemed too loud for the occasion.</p>
<p>“Sage?” asked Franny.</p>
<p>“Glow-stick,” said Sage.</p>
<p>“Where’s Kitty?”</p>
<p>“I lost track of her after she disappeared into the structure.”</p>
<p>“Yay.”</p>
<p>“I fear she may not have a full understanding of the situation.”</p>
<p>“I think she’s using Kenna as bait, although I don’t see her anywhere.”</p>
<p>“Unlikely, Shadow-cat has never been observed using people, let alone students, as bait.”</p>
<p>“Who?”</p>
<p>“Shadow-cat.”</p>
<p>“Wait, ‘Kitty’ isn’t her operational designation?”</p>
<p>“No?” Franny burst into an uncontrollable fit of laughter. “This is neither the time nor the place.”</p>
<p>“I just assumed after you gave me ‘Glow-stick’ that she was given ‘Kitty’ and it just stuck somehow. But here I am, twitching in fear, afraid that someone who calls herself ‘Kitty’ is going to get me.” said Franny wiping a tear from her eye.</p>
<p>Kitty wrapped her fingers around Franny’s ankle.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Go away,” groaned Franny. It was morning. Kenna had found her partially phased through the statue of Professor Xavier with her head poking out of his butt. Her first instinct was to try and pull her out.</p><p>“I can’t believe she left you out here all night! She told me you were fine!”</p><p>“Seriously, stop pulling. You’re not going to be able to get me out of this thing.”</p><p>“That should have been a flag right there! I didn’t ask how you were doing! I asked where you were!”</p><p>“Speaking of, where were you last night? I was looking for you.”</p><p>“Have you ever heard of the Lion, the witch, and the wardrobe?”</p><p>“Yes,”</p><p>“Well, instead of a fantasy land filled with stranger danger witches I was taken to a construction site with pushy robots and disagreeable bugs.”</p><p>“So you were on drugs.”</p><p>“Is that how that book ended?”</p><p>“Did you not read the book all the way through?”</p><p>“I got to the part where the Lion died. It was very sad.”</p><p>“He comes back to life.”</p><p>“Oh cool, wait, I thought you said you couldn’t read.”</p><p>“My dad read me books.”</p><p>“Could he not teach you to read?”</p><p>“Don’t you have class or something?”</p><p>“Oh! Oh! That’s a great idea!”</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>“This is school! A place of the learned! I can just go around and crowdsource a solution on how to get you out!”</p><p>“No.”</p><p>“Hold on Franny I’ll be back as soon as I can!”</p><p>             Kenna ran to the library. It was where a majority of the classes offered there were held. In the lofty enclosure students would gather around various tables throughout to receive their lessons for the day. Kenna, not having spent much time here, was not as familiar who was who or what they taught.</p><p>“Hi my name is Kenna, it’s a pleasure to meet all of you, I’m sorry for interrupting but Franny is stuck in a statue,” Kenna said to the table.</p><p>“Thank God,” said Bobby. The teacher was a fit brown haired man in his late twenties and he seemed relieved to see her.</p><p>“For the record that was a cry for help, not an announcement.”</p><p>“It’s not accounting, so I’m in.”</p><p>“Aren’t, you, teaching, this class?”</p><p>“I need a break. So Franny’s in the statue huh?”</p><p>“Yes, help please.”</p><p>“Have you tried pulling on her real hard?”</p><p>“Yes!”</p><p>“Did it work?”</p><p>“No.”</p><p>“Drat, have you talked to Kitty?”</p><p>“No, I don’t know where she is and she scares me.”</p><p>“How’d she get there?”</p><p>“Kitty.”</p><p>“Say no more.”</p><p>“So you can get her out?”</p><p>“No she scares me too.”</p><p>“Well do you know anybody here that can help me?” Bobby looked around his table of students.</p><p>“Loa, you can phase through things can’t you?” Bobby asked the girl with reddish brown hair and face markings.</p><p>“Yes, but, you wouldn’t want me to.”</p><p>“Right right right the things you go through tend to fall apart don’t they. I guess you could ask Forge to build something, but that could take a while. Maybe Hank could look into it if he’s not busy. He loves this stuff.”</p><p>“Do you know where they are?”</p><p>“No but-,”</p><p>“Thanks bye!” said Kenna running towards another table.</p><p>“I could call them,” said Bobby trailing off. The next table she ran to was being led by a shorter rougher looking individual with a beer in hand. The closer she got to the table the more she thought about moving onto another. The teacher stopped his lecture mid-sentence, took a whiff of the air, and glared at her.</p><p>“Can I help you?” asked the man with a perpetual displeasure in his voice.</p><p>“Excuse me sir-,” said Kenna.</p><p>“Logan,” said Logan</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“My name is Logan. What do you want Collateral Damage?” Kenna didn’t say anything for a long painful minute.</p><p>“I forget,” she finally said.</p><p>“See you around then.”</p><p>“Wait I remember! My Franny friend,” she took a breath to collect her words, “My friend Franny is stuck in a statue.”</p><p>“Find Kitty,” he said, turning back to face his students.</p><p>“I would but I don’t think she’s going to help me.”</p><p>“Why not?”</p><p>“Cause she put Franny there in the first place.” Logan finished his beer.</p><p>“Then she’s probably there for a reason.”</p><p>“Is the reason to humiliate her and keep her from class? Because that’s what’s happening right now.” Logan growled under his breath. “I’m sorry! You’re probably right! I’ll see you around ten! I really look forward to your class! bye!” she said walking away as quickly as she could. Logan put his finger up to his ear.</p><p>“Shadow-cat,” he said.</p><p>“Go for Shadow-cat,” said Kitty through his ear piece.</p><p>Kenna kept looking over her shoulder. He definitely knew her, but she couldn’t place him and someone that scary would have been remembered. “Kenna Knox,” said the professionally dressed woman with blue eyes and long white hair. She had called Kenna’s name from across the library. Kenna pointed at herself. “Yes, you. You’re late, again.” She meandered towards the table.</p><p>“Hi I’m,” Kenna began to introduce herself out of habit, but it had dawned on her that she had just said her name, “looking for help for my friend. She’s-,”</p><p>“Sit,” said the teacher.</p><p>“But.”</p><p>“Sit.” Kenna sat at the table with the other students. “Where’s your books?”</p><p>“Probably on the lawn somewhere.”</p><p>“Why haven’t you retrieved them yet?”</p><p>“Funny story, I was doing that when I found Franny’s head was sticking out of Professor Xavier’s butt.” Everybody looked at her with mixed reactions. “The statue, his statue, not the person.”</p><p>“Did you say Franny? As in Francine Waites? The Morlock?” the teacher asked.</p><p>“Yes?”</p><p>“Class, please excuse me, I need to go look into this. While I’m gone would you be so kind as to catch Kenna up on everything she has missed. Yuuto please give some supplies to her as well,” said the teacher as she walked away. Kenna’s neck nearly sheared itself apart with the speed she turned to stare daggers at the boy she was talking to. Yuuto only glanced at her.</p><p>“He’s sorry by the way,” said the guy with super short hair and yellow sunglasses around his neck. Both Kenna and Yuuto looked at him with confusion and disdain.</p><p>“Who are you?” she asked.</p><p>“David, and he didn’t mean to stab you.”</p><p>“So why did you run me through you sword loving piece of shit?” Kenna asked Yuuto. Yuuto pulled a note card out of his hand and slid it towards Kenna.</p><p>“You spooked me,” said the card with printed letters. Kenna started at the card for a few seconds.</p><p>“Do that again,” she said. Yuuto pulled out two sharpened pencils and several pieces of notebook paper and slid it to her. She examined it and found it to be indistinguishable from anything she’s ever seen. “How do you do that?”</p><p>“As long as he has an understanding of the components and how they are made he can manifest just about anything.” said David.</p><p>“He can speak for himself.”</p><p>“He actually can’t. They cut out his tongue. All he has is sign language and note cards now.” Yuuto pulled out another note card and shifted around in his seat.</p><p>“You shouldn’t know that,” said the card.</p><p>“Wait who cut out your tongue? Was it Logan!?” asked Kenna.</p><p>“It was the ‘The Ha-’,” David tried to say before Yuuto pulled a knife on him. David caught it. Yuuto dropped it and pulled out another. Their conflict was a subtle game of sleight of hand and quick agile movements that escalated the longer it went on until it finally caught the attention of Logan. All he had to do was walk over there. David and Yuuto immediately stopped everything they were doing. After a very short discussion he escorted them both out of the library.</p><p>“What was that!?” Kenna asked the rest of her classmates. None of them answered her and tried to avoid eye contact. “I mean, that can’t be normal right?”</p><p>“You’re the only one freaking out about it,” Noriko said with her head down on the table.</p><p>“They tried to kill each other!”</p><p>“Did they kill you?”</p><p>“No?”</p><p>“Then shut up.”</p><p>“What’s up with your arms?” Without raising her head off the table Noriko unshackled one of her arms. When the pale skin reacted with the air the lights flickered. “So you disrupt electronics.”</p><p>“I eat it,” Noriko said, sliding her arm back in.</p><p>“And the metal sleeves?”</p><p>“Stop me from eating it.”</p><p>“You don’t control the eating?”</p><p>“No.”</p><p>“Did you make them yourself?”</p><p>“No.”</p><p>“Where did you get them?”</p><p>“Forge.”</p><p>“Oh, okay. Did you have to pay for them or?”</p><p>“Do you have trouble controlling whatever you have?”</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>“Then he probably has something for you on his to-do list.”</p><p>“Woo!”</p><p>“Don’t get too excited. He has a long to-do list.”</p><p>“How long did it take to get your stuff?”</p><p>“He made mine before they even picked me up.”</p><p>“Well aren’t you special.”</p><p>“Do you disrupt pacemakers?”</p><p>“No.”</p><p>“Then shut up.” At that time Ms. Munroe had walked back into the library with an air of melancholy about her. She continued her lesson without skipping a beat, not even making note of the two missing students at the table.</p><p>“Are there any questions?” she asked, nearing the end of their time. Kenna raised her hand. “Yes Kenna.”</p><p>“Is Franny okay?”</p><p>“Are there any questions pertaining to the lesson?” Kenna raised her hand again. “Yes, Kenna.”</p><p>“In the first chapter where you were talking about the fundamental building blocks of life I was really confused about if Franny was okay.”</p><p>“She’s fine, are there any-,” Kenna already had her hand up, “Yes.”</p><p>“Is she still stuck in the statue?”</p><p>“The rest of you may go.” Her peers shuffled away from the table while Ms. Munroe took a seat across from Kenna.</p><p>“She is still stuck in the statue isn’t she?”</p><p>“That one is stuck in many ways.”</p><p>“Did Kitty come back!?”</p><p>“No, and don’t do that.”</p><p>“Do what?”</p><p>“You may speak when I am done speaking.”</p><p>“Are, are you done speaking now?”</p><p>“I will tell you when I am done speaking,” she took a breath, “I cannot free her. Even if I could it would not benefit her in any way. She’d still be trapped in one form or another and until she realizes this she will never truly be free. So there she will remain. You may speak now.”</p><p>“I don’t suppose you know anybody else that would be willing to help out?”</p><p>“You must not have heard me. There she shall remain.” Kenna sat there in silence for another moment until Ms. Munroe gestured to her to speak.</p><p>“That’s a bit harsh don’t you think?”</p><p>“That one will not learn otherwise. You may leave now.” Kenna was about to say something else, but she stopped herself. She was getting nowhere and souring this teacher’s mood would undoubtedly come back around to her eventually. Feeling defeated she grabbed breakfast and went back to the statue.</p><p>“How’s it going Franny?” she asked walking up with a plate covering another plate of food.</p><p>“Quick do you have anything to write with?” asked Franny.</p><p>“No?”</p><p>“Ugh then help me remember these names, Elliot.”</p><p>“I’m sorry I couldn’t find anybody that could help you get out of there.”</p><p>“Noriko, I didn’t ask you too, Yare.”</p><p>“I brought you breakfast,” she said, taking the plate off the other plate holding the food.</p><p>“Trish, put it up to my face, Kenna.”</p><p>“Who are these people to you?” said Kenna holding out the plate. Franny shoved her face into it devouring its contents.</p><p>“They’re people that have scorned me today,” she said, finishing the last bit of the plate’s contents.</p><p>“Why am I on that list!?”</p><p>“I didn’t say you could take the plate away!”</p><p>“There’s nothing left!”</p><p>“I haven’t licked the syrup off!”</p><p>“I’ve been trying to get you out and I brought you breakfast!”</p><p>“I thought this was apology breakfast!”</p><p>“Why am I apologizing!?”</p><p>“You told that witch I was trapped and where to find me!”</p><p>“No I didn’t! I haven’t even seen Illyanna today!”</p><p>“Who?”</p><p>“The Russian pentagram woman?”</p><p>“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I am talking about Ororo!”</p><p>“Who?”</p><p>“Ororo! Long white hair! Controls the weather!”</p><p>“Ms. Munroe?”</p><p>“Yes!”</p><p>“I thought she was going to help you!”</p><p>“I hate her!”</p><p>“Well I’m sorry! I didn’t know!”</p><p>“I’ll forgive you a little more if you let me lick the syrup off that plate!” Kenna held the plate back out for Franny to lick.</p><p>“What did she do to you?”</p><p>“She usurped Calisto.”</p><p>“Oh.”</p><p>“Calisto was kind of a big deal to us.”</p><p>“Thank you, I was afraid I was supposed to know who that was.”</p><p>“Yup, fought her in single combat for the right to lead the Morlocks. And when she won she gave some vague orders and never returned.”</p><p>“Did she at least say why she never returned?”</p><p>“No and even if she did there’s nothing she could say that would make me hate her any less.”</p><p>“Why isn’t she on the scorned list?”</p><p>“For the same reason Kitty isn’t. What am I gonna do to them? One can phase through anything and the other controls a fundamental force of nature.”</p><p>“Yeah how does she do that? There’s way too many things that go into making weather. What does she do that specifically controls any of that?”</p><p>“I don’t know, maybe it’s the same way Crystal controls fire and water.”</p><p>“Who?”</p><p>“Some mutant I’m roomed with. Nice enough, takes direction better than most.”</p><p>“I’m learning about so many people today.”</p><p>“Wait a minute. Where did you get those clothes?” Kenna looked over her autumn colored jeans, shirt, vest combination.</p><p>“They’re mine?”</p><p>“Don’t lie to me. All our stuff is still buried in the debris that was once our room.”</p><p>“They’re mine, now.”</p><p>“Where did you get them?”</p><p>“They’re Layla’s.”</p><p>“Layla Miller?”</p><p>“She’s also some mutant I’m roomed with. You know her?”</p><p>“Not personally. She was one of the people that I couldn’t account for when the fire alarm went off last night.”</p><p>“Yeah I overhead something about that while I was cleaning breakfast dishes. You’ve made quite a name for yourself here already.”</p><p>“Do you know where she is?”</p><p>“I’ve only met her yesterday and I never saw her again after that.”</p><p>“Interesting.”</p><p>“Do you think she’s somehow connected with everything else going on here?”</p><p>“No,” Franny sighed.</p><p>“Are you sure? She was saying some pretty weird stuff before she disappeared.”</p><p>“Yes, they’re not hiding anything. At least not without good reason,” Franny begrudgingly admitted.</p><p>“But the implanted memories.”</p><p>“Turns out they were more of a mental bandage to cover the trauma of my death.”</p><p>“But the leg thing that was in you.”</p><p>“They gave it back to me like it was no big deal.”</p><p>“But the iron man in the basement.”</p><p>“The what?”</p><p>“Oh crap I wasn’t supposed to say anything about that! That’s just between us okay!”</p><p>“Are you telling me they have Tony fuckin Stark trapped in their basement?”</p><p>“No nothing weird like that. I think it was just his armor. But at the same time it wasn’t his armor. Whatever it was, Forge was really nervous about it.”</p><p>“Explain.”</p><p>“I didn’t get a real good look at it, but it was gold and purple instead of his usual gold and red.”</p><p>“You get into the weirdest shit when I’m not around.”</p><p>“And I haven’t even told you about the sketchy bird skeleton man yet.”</p><p>“Okay, now you’re just making this up. Or maybe you’re not? These sound like lies but you don’t sound like you’re lying.”</p><p>“What do I sound like when I’m lying? Apparently everybody can tell somehow.”</p><p>“Why would I tell you that? What does that do for me?”</p><p>“I would be-,” It was only then did Kenna spot Ororo watching them from across the quad, “That can’t be good.”</p><p>“What? What’s going on?”</p><p>“Ms. Munroe is looking at us.”</p><p>“Good, pull down my pants.”</p><p>“What!?”</p><p>“I’m going to give her what I call the ‘solar eclipse’. That’s when I turn up my light and show her my ass.”</p><p>“Absolutely not!”</p><p>“Why?”</p><p>“Cause I’ll get-,”</p><p>“What? What’s going on now?”</p><p>“She flew to the roof.”</p><p>“It’s fine as long as she isn’t doing any specific motions.”</p><p>“She’s raising her hand to the sky.”</p><p>“Fuck”</p><p>“She’s saying something now but I can’t tell what.”</p><p>“She’s commanding the skies.”</p><p>“To do what though?” The skies darkened with a fat drop of rain landing nearby. Kenna stared intently at where it landed. “Is she insane!?”</p><p>“You should probably get inside.”</p><p>“But what about you!?”</p><p>“I’ll be fine. She won’t hurt me. She only wants my misery.” Kenna looked back and forth between Franny and the building a few more times before running for shelter. Franny watched her run away with her two plates raised above her trying to shield herself from the rain’s preamble. She could longer hear Kenna’s panicked footsteps when the bottom fell out. The cold sheet of water came down all at once as if it had only been waiting for Kenna to get out of the way.</p><p>She couldn’t be drowned. Not in this way. Ororo knew this all too well but enjoyed the challenge all the same. Franny couldn’t even see her but was determined not to give even the slightest hint that she couldn’t suffer this. The usurper would not get that pleasure from her. For the longest time the rain fell upon her like it was trying to erode away the very statue she was held by. Until it didn’t. The deluge weakened its barrage upon her seemingly without reason. Franny thought that perhaps Ororo had finally grown bored of this lesson, or perhaps she was only gearing up for an even greater torrent. The true reason only revealed itself in the form of a scream. Not a scared scream mind you, but defiant one. Franny managed to crane her neck enough to one side to witness Kenna running back across the quad under an expansive tarp.</p><p>“Are you insane!” yelled a soaked Franny.</p><p>“AAAAAHHHHH maybe AAAAAHHHHH!” yelled Kenna as she pitched the tarp over the statue protecting them both from the rain. The gentle patter of the rain continued on as Kenna did her best to secure the tarp to the statue’s base.</p><p>“You’re so stupid Kenna.”</p><p>“Turn on your light please this is hard to do in the dark.”</p><p>“Where did you even get a tarp? Is this one of ones that are covering that hole you made in the women’s dorm?”</p><p>“Yup.”</p><p>“So there’s rain now pouring into that building.”</p><p>“I assumed she would stop raining in that particular area.”</p><p>“Maybe if she notices.”</p><p>“You need it more anyway.”</p><p>“How did you not get wet?”</p><p>“Oh I did. My circulation is getting cut off as we speak.”</p><p>“Is this tarp going to be able to hold you?”</p><p>“Claws.”</p><p>“Huh?”</p><p>“Give me your claws!” All of Franny's claws popped from behind her. Kenna grabbed a hand and jabbed them into her skin releasing steam into the air. </p><p>“Hot! Hot!”</p><p>“Just a few more seconds.”</p><p>“It burns!”</p><p>“Okay done.”</p><p>“Ow!”</p><p>“It wasn’t that bad.”</p><p>“Ow!”</p><p>“It’s just steam.”</p><p>“You’ve lost your claw privileges!”</p><p>“It wasn’t exactly a great experience for me either!” The rain picked back up. “So what’s going to happen now?”</p><p>“I don’t know. Like I said. I saw her prance into my world, overthrow our governing body, throw some weather shit around, and prance right on out. I don’t know much about her otherwise.”</p><p>“Didn’t you have a conversation with her not too long ago? What did you even talk about?”</p><p>“I don’t know. I spat at her every time she tried to start a sentence.”</p><p>“Why am I standing between you and her again?”</p><p>“I don’t know! And I’ve been telling you not to do this the whole time!” The wind picked up shaking the tarp violently.</p><p>“Franny!” yelled Kenna over the roar of the wind.</p><p>“What!?” Franny yelled back.</p><p>“I’m getting the impression she doesn’t like being challenged!”</p><p>“Yeah I’m getting strong ‘don’t defy me’ vibes from her!”</p><p>“Are you sure she’s not going to kill us!?” A thunderous bolt of lightning struck the ground in the distance.</p><p>“Not intentionally? And even then there’s always Elixir.” The ground shook as another bolt hit the ground away from them. “Kenna!” Franny yelled.</p><p>“What!?” Kenna yelled back.</p><p>“May I ask you kind of a personal question since we might die?”</p><p>“Sure! Why not!”</p><p>“Do I smell!?”</p><p>“No!?”</p><p>“Are you really lying to me right now!?”</p><p>“Seriously! What is my tell!? Is it a twitch!? Doest thine nostrils flare uncontrollably!?</p><p>“I’ll never tell!”</p><p>“Yes, you have an odor! But it’s never really bothered me!? It’s just kind of different! How often do you shower!?”</p><p>“Well I lived in a sewer before I came here! So I guess never!”</p><p>“That would do it!”</p><p>“How often do you shower!? Is it like a daily thing or!?”</p><p>“I used to all the time until all this happened!”</p><p>“What!?”</p><p>“I kind of just wipe myself down with sanitizer these days!”</p><p>“You’re disgusting!”</p><p>“How would I shower Franny! I’d destroy the shower before I got anywhere!”</p><p>“Just jab a kitchen knife into your leg before you shower!”</p><p>“I tried that once! It didn’t work out as well as you’d think!”</p><p>                The symphony of the storm crescendoed all around them and for a brief moment it felt like the totality of its force was focused on them and them alone. Then, as before, the moment passed. All at once the anomalous weather patterns had stopped. The symphony was over. Even as the sun began to explore the world again Kenna still clung to the thick layers of cloth and plastic waiting for the other shoe to drop. The wind did pick up again but not like before. It was swirling, but not around them. And it was getting closer. Ororo yanked the tarp off the statue.</p><p>“Leave,” said Ororo. She did not look remotely wet. Even with her eyes glossed over with a mysterious energy Kenna could tell daggers were being stared at her.</p><p>“So, I think the problem here is-,” Kenna said as thunder cracked.</p><p>“I did not say you could speak.” Kenna said nothing else, but she didn’t leave either. There was temptation to keep talking. To make an argument or observation that would hopefully defuse everything. But it had become painfully obvious now that her words meant nothing to the weather witch. Why would they? With such power to bolster demands compliance would be expected if not customary. Anything else would be an insult. So, there she stood. One disaster staring down another. “This one is not very wise, is she?” asked Ororo. Franny spat at her. “Leave, and I promise that one will be removed. You may speak.”</p><p>“Safely?” asked Kenna.</p><p>“Safely.”</p><p>“Franny?”</p><p>“Just go already!” yelled Franny.</p><p>“Fine! Whatever! I got classes anyway!” yelled Kenna as she left. Once Ororo was sure Kenna was out of earshot she came closer to Franny. Neither exchanged anything at first. Franny hardly even looked at her.</p><p>“You may speak,” Ororo said softly. Franny tried to spit at her but found herself lacking in spittle.</p><p>“Where were you?” Franny asked.</p><p>“Elsewhere.”</p><p>“So not even genocide is worth your attention? Good to know.”</p><p>“Do not confuse my absence for apathy. The very moment I got word of this atrocity I begged anyone who would listen to come to your aid.”</p><p>“We wouldn’t have needed aid if you had just left us alone.”</p><p>“You were taking people and turning them into Morlocks. This could not be allowed to continue.”</p><p>“We never took anybody that was going to be missed.”</p><p>“You took children.”</p><p>“Only politicians’ kids. Even then some of them never even noticed they were gone until they started threatening us.”</p><p>“It was still unacceptable.”</p><p>“We were at war. We’re mutants, actual mutants. Humans hate us and genetics is not on our side. They were taking us, so we took them. Recruiting was our only option if we were to survive as a society and you came on in and said ‘stop’. And you know what was the really pathetic part? I was all for you. Callisto was great and all, but you were something else entirely. Even without gale force winds at your fingertips you kicked Callisto’s ass. I wasn’t even against the new direction you wanted us to go. It’s not like I enjoyed kidnapping, I was just really good at it. But then you left, and you never came back. Was it the smell? Or was it that you never really cared about us and it was all just a means to an end? Either way that was the beginning of our steady decline. One that we will never recover from now.”</p><p>“Enough,” said Ororo.</p><p>“That’s fine. I’ve said my piece. You may speak,” said Franny.</p><p>“The fate of your people falls on me. I will not pretend otherwise and for that I ask for forgiveness and renounce any authority that may linger.”</p><p>“That’s it? My family dies and you get to say some cheap words and forget it ever happened?”</p><p>“Such things cannot be forgotten so easily. Franny, your pain is justified, but you have no right to sling such venom without ever having known the burden of leadership.”</p><p>“Ororo!” yelled Kitty running up, “Hi! I’m sorry to interrupt whatever is going on here, but I got like five things going on at the same time and Logan gave me an earful about this so I kind of need to.” Kitty quickly grabbed Franny by the lure light and yanked her out the statue. “Do that.” Kitty looked down at Franny. “Don’t ever sneak into my room you little shit. Bye Ororo!” Kitty took off running back across the quad while Franny picked herself up.</p><p>“Ororo,” said Franny.</p><p>“Yes,” said Ororo.</p><p>“Please don’t tell Kenna what I’ve done.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Hello again Kenna. It’s always a pleasure to meet you,” said Tessa.</p><p>“Hello Ms. Tessa, I assume by now you know what I’m here about,” said Kenna. The Xavier Institute official that went by Sage, more often than not, had been met with Kenna in her above ground office almost every day for a month since the event with the Xavier Statue. Even though she had now been addressed by Kenna she was still typing away on both a physical keyboard with one hand and a seemingly invisible one with the other while not entirely looking at either.</p><p>“You wish to file yet another complaint regarding our inaction against Ororo Munroe and Kathrine Pryde yes?”</p><p>“Yes,” Kenna said silently, judging Tessa for wearing sunglasses indoors.</p><p>“Excellent, since this appears like it’s going to be a regular concern with you, I have gone to the trouble of printing out fifty identical forms with the exact same information filled out on them with the exception of the date and your signatures. Feel free to use them as needed.”</p><p>“You’re just going shred it after I leave, aren’t you?”</p><p>“On the contrary. I will scan your document and add it to her file. Then I will keep the physical copy for at least one year at which, only at that point, will I shred it for the purposes of getting rid of outdated documents.”</p><p>“Oh.”</p><p>“However, at this point, I feel compelled to tell you that no matter how many of these you fill out it will amount to nothing. It might even look worse on you in the end.”</p><p>“What!? Why!?”</p><p>“Ms. Munroe and Ms. Pryde are working well within our bylaws.”</p><p>“Hazing is within your bylaws?”</p><p>“Hazing, by definition, is the imposition of strenuous, often humiliating, tasks as part of a program of rigorous physical training and initiation. As that does not fit what Ms. Waites experienced on the aforementioned dates the Xavier Institute is not obligated to take any action against the accused parties.”</p><p>“I would appreciate it greatly if I had your full attention please.” Tessa paused, performed a few additional button presses, took off her sunglasses, and clasped her hands in front of her.”</p><p>“Very well Ms. Knox. You now have my full, undivided, attention.” Kenna squirmed in her seat. Something about the way she said the words “undivided” unsettled her greatly.</p><p>“Kitty shoved Franny into a statue, Ororo drowned her in rain, and I was nearly struck by lightning several times. Surely there’s some law or regulation against that.”</p><p>“I hear and understand you Ms. Knox.”</p><p>“Great, does that mean-,”</p><p>“Have you ever seen that old black and white television show called the twilight zone?”</p><p>“Yes?”</p><p>“Did you ever see episode seventy-three titled ‘It’s a good life’?”</p><p>“No?”</p><p>“Well it’s about a little boy that could do anything and he used this mysterious power to terrorize the small town he lived in. And-,”</p><p>“The cornfield episode! I know what you’re talking about! I have seen that one before!” Kenna blurted with excitement.</p><p>“Yes, the cornfield episode, now if you were in the parent’s position what would you have done about the child?”</p><p>“I would have bashed his brains in with a pan!”</p><p>“We all would have bashed his brains in with a pan.”</p><p>“He was the worst.”</p><p>“Now imagine how the situation would have changed if he grew up with just one or two more reasonable people that he couldn’t have sent to the cornfield.”</p><p>“I know this one. He could have killed them in their sleep.”</p><p>“No.”</p><p>“He could transform the townsfolk into monsters and gotten them to eat the reasonable people.”</p><p>“No.”</p><p>“He could have run away to a different town?”</p><p>“Yes, all these solutions are as theoretically viable as they are irrelevant, more to the point his upbringing would have been different.”</p><p>“Different doesn’t always mean better.”</p><p>“Well here at the Xavier Institute we love and care for our student body so much that we use whatever methods are necessary to ensure that nobody needs to bash your brains in with a pan.”</p><p>“Okay, but where is the line for that sort of thing? Can I be killed by a teacher and it be considered fine as long as I’m brought back to life at some point?”</p><p>“No, murdering students has and always will be-,” Tessa stopped mid-sentence.</p><p>“Tessa?” Kenna waved her hand in front of her face. There was no reaction other than the ever-growing intensity of her stare into space. “Ms. Tessa is everything alright?” Tessa’s right eye came back life frantically looking in different directions independently of the other. “Ms. Tessa, please say something. This freaking me out and as you’ve probably figured out by now, I don’t deal with uncertainty well.” Her left eye twitched and turned its gaze on Kenna. Tessa unclasped her hands.</p><p>“Quickly and calmly go back to your room and stay there until you’re given further instruction,” she said, putting her sunglasses back on.</p><p>“What? What did I do?”</p><p>“Nothing, an announcement will be made shortly that will explain everything. But for now, please do as I say,” said manipulating invisible components in the air with terrifying speed and efficiency. Kenna backed out of her office. When she closed the door she could have sworn she heard a gun chambering a round from behind it.</p><p>                The mansion had very different energy. Faculty, teachers, and staff alike were running with purpose in different directions. Kenna would occasionally try to ask what was going on but at best they’d ignore her and at worst they yelled at her. The alarm sounded as she went. A pre-recorded message came through ordering every student to either head for their rooms or follow the lights, and that this wasn’t a drill.  As she walked through the foyer a man in full yellow and black armor emerged from the elevator. He looked like the type of guy that would have yelled at her, but instead simply pulled one the decorative chairs into the center facing the doors.</p><p>“Excuse sir, what’s going on?” asked Kenna.</p><p>“Kid this about to get real ugly. You need to leave.” he said taking a seat.</p><p>“Mr. Logan?” she asked, recognizing the gruffness of his voice.</p><p>“Go.” The ground next him erupted into a flaming pentagram with two other familiar faces emerging seemingly out of nowhere. The massive metal man and his sketchy sister who was now brandishing a massive glowing sword approached her with great concern.</p><p>“You should not be here!” said Peter.</p><p>“Peter what’s going on!? Why is everybody freaking out!” asked Kenna. Ignoring her questions completely he picked her up off the ground.</p><p>“Illyana!” he shouted.</p><p>“Da,” Illyana said, summoning another flaming pentagram around them.</p><p>“Come on man! I’m starting to get really scared here!” she said as they emerged from the flames in front of the women’s dorm.</p><p>“Fear is good! Fear keeps one alive! Only in fear can one show courage!” he said putting her down. Dark heavy clouds enveloped the campus with unnatural speeds. Kenna instinctively looked up to the roof of the main building. Ororo was up there, preoccupied with what laid beyond the grounds.</p><p>“Peter,” said Kenna.</p><p>“Be brave. Be strong. Be safe,” said Peter as he hugged her. Kenna looked over his shoulder to Illyana.</p><p>“We’re all going to die,” she said smiling.</p><p>Peter let her go and practically shoved her through the door. Kenna paused. The signs of danger were all there, but gravity of the situation could not be fully digested for her without getting to see what it was. She cracked the door back open. A metal door had already begun covering the entrance. Just before it closed completely, she caught a glimpse of lightning breaking the sky as a black jet flew off into the distance.</p><p>The halls were quiet. What was usually a place of open doors and odd conversation was replaced with silence and sealed rooms. The only ambience now was the faint sound of lightning striking the earth. When she got to her room she found Ellie huddled up in a corner crying uncontrollably.</p><p>“Ellie! Ellie! What’s wrong!?” said Kenna running into the room.</p><p>“The door’s not going down!” Ellie sobbed.</p><p>“Why?”</p><p>“It’s waiting for everybody to get in here!”</p><p>“It’s okay! It’s okay! I’m in here now! It should close!”</p><p>“What about the others!?” Kenna looked down on the pile of clothes she had pillaged.</p><p>“Well, shit. Hey at least the window one worked. We got that going for us.”</p><p>“And as soon as things get bad you’re going to use me to go somewhere else!”</p><p>“I honestly didn’t think about that,” Ellie sobbed even louder, “But I’m not going to do that! I promise I won’t leave you! Even though you’ve been trying to get me evicted, I won’t leave you! We’ll weather whatever this is out together and we’ll probably even bond over something that will lead to an oddly close and unique friendship very quickly.</p><p>As soon as she said that the metal door began lowering over their room’s entrance. “Hey, would you look at that. Elizabeth and Layla must have left the school, that explains this and everything else. See things are looking up Ellie. So please stop crying.”</p><p>“Yoink,” said the deep voice in her head.</p><p>“Yoink?” she said to herself. Kenna’s legs turned her around and flung her back out under the door before it closed completely. She immediately started beating the door.</p><p>“Open! Open! Open! Open!”</p><p>“Just, just what in your tiny little mind makes you think that’s going to work?” asked the deep voice in her head. Kenna turned around suddenly with her back to the door. “It's called telepathy. You’ve done this before.”</p><p>“I, assumed, someone was watching the cameras and will let me back in if they can hear how scared I am,” said Kenna.</p><p>“Use your thoughts not your mouth dipshit.”</p><p>“AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH...ah...AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHAAAAA!” thought Kenna.</p><p>“Never mind, just use your words.”</p><p>“Who are you and what is going on!?”</p><p>“It would be a waste of time, I will never get back, telling you something I’m going to burn out of your skull later. As for the ladder we’re going to find out.”</p><p>“Huh?”</p><p>“You’re going to be my eyes.”</p><p>“What why me?”</p><p>“Not my first choice either. Dead last if I’m being honest.”</p><p>“Why is everybody so mean here?”</p><p>“You, however, do have some distinct advantages.”</p><p>“Really!?”</p><p>“You live in a sensor blind-spot, and your mind is about as protected as a McDonald’s Wi-Fi.”</p><p>“Blind spot?</p><p>“There are certain rooms here that are not monitored as well. Don’t ask me why. I still haven’t figured that one out. As for your next stupid question. I would be doing this myself, but the my dorm lacks a giant fucking hole in the side of it.”</p><p>“Well since you’re asking so nicely.”</p><p>“That’s the beauty of it! I don’t have to! Sure, I could forcibly move your legs, but that's a lot of work. And I know you want to see it too.”</p><p>“I don’t know, it sounds dangerous and I could get into trouble.”</p><p>“If you do this willingly, I’ll ingrain into your mind all the information you’ll ever need to get your useless degree.”</p><p>“Really!?”</p><p>“Sure.” Kenna squeaked with glee. The exciting thought of blowing through the next four years easily sank in a mire of apprehensiveness the closer she got to her old room. The door had already been blown open by the wind and was flapped around at its mercy. The view didn’t help. The sky had grown much darker. Clouds above were convulsing in absolute abject anger.</p><p>“Fuck” they said together.</p><p>“I’m guessing this isn’t normal?” asked Kenna.</p><p>“Storm doesn’t normally operate like this. Tends to draw unwanted attention.”</p><p>“Could have fooled me.”</p><p>“Shit must have really hit the fan this time.”</p><p>“Why can’t you go into her mind and figure this stuff out?”</p><p>“I could, if I wanted to, but Charlie is broadcasting hard and I really don’t want to get on his radar.”</p><p>“Okay, what’s he thinking?”</p><p>“Mostly tactical information. It looks like Red and Blue teams were deployed while Gold is creating a strongpoint here and good old Charlie is coordinating strikes with Storm.” Lightning struck the ground in the distance. “There, they just downed one.”</p><p>“One what?”</p><p>“That’s for them to wonder and for us to find out.”</p><p>“Are you telling me they don’t know what they’re shooting down?”</p><p>“It doesn’t sound like they’ve confirmed what it actually is. All they know is that it’s foreign and it’s hostile.”</p><p>“Like the Russians?”</p><p>“More foreign than that.”</p><p>“Antarcticians?”</p><p>“How are Antarcticians more foreign than Russians?”</p><p>“Well I’ve never met one.”</p><p>“Sage is fluent in every language on Earth and she doesn’t understand them. Not a good sign.”</p><p>“Aliens?”</p><p>“It’s a possibility.”</p><p>“Really!?” she asked excitedly.</p><p>“Oh you poor dumb potato of human being. There are things going on that you will never begin to understand.”</p><p>“Okay! I get it! Everybody knows more than me! I don’t care! I am comfortably enough with myself to admit that I am not smart! I don’t know how electricity works! The government confuses me! And I don’t know why buffet is pronounced ‘buffett’!”</p><p>“It’s French.”</p><p>“That barely helps. But it doesn’t matter! I’ve never needed to know, and I’ve got along just fine without it! And you’re going to shove it all into my brain when we’re done with this anyway!” She said climbing down from the third floor. The jagged concrete and metal rebar made for serviceable hand holds during her descent. Over the last week she had finally made some leeway into clearing some of the debris she had created her first day there. It wasn’t much but given her a small sense of accomplishment knowing that the effort to fix her mistake had begun.</p><p>“Stop, get on the ground, and crawl very slowly towards the forest,” said the deep voice in her head. She complied. “It’s to avoid the sensors.”</p><p>“I didn’t ask.”</p><p>“You were thinking it very loudly. You need to go slower than this.”</p><p>“Do you mind answering the other one then?”</p><p>“I’ve tested this before. Seriously, you need to go slower than this.”</p><p>“Sure thing.”</p><p>“I said ‘go slower’ I didn’t say ‘stop’ smartass.”</p><p>“But if I go any faster you’ll yell at me.” Lighting descended once again from the sky striking the earth close enough to Kenna to cause her jump. “Fuck!”</p><p>“You idiot! You absolute dumbfuck”</p><p>“It was loud!”</p><p>“Run!” Kenna took off into the woods.</p><p>“We’ve been had shit for brains! Run the other way!”</p><p>“I can still do this!”</p><p>“They know something is out here. The only reason Magik hasn’t pulled you into Limbo yet is because I’m causing running interference and I don’t know how long that’s going to work. You need to get back.”</p><p>“That last strike was close! Whatever Ororo shot down must be here somewhere!”</p><p>“You’re not understanding what I’m throwing out here! If they can’t see you Storm might assume there’s an enemy combatant out here!” The temperature dropped rapidly, and crackling frost consumed the forest around her.</p><p>“Cold!”</p><p>“No, this is good.”</p><p>“Frostbite is good!?”</p><p>“Better than getting carpet bombed with lightning.”</p><p>“My hands feel like they’re on cold fire!”</p><p>“Hold on.” The burning sensation of the freezing cold left her hands. They were still difficult to move, but no longer in pain. The rest of her body slowly lost all feeling as well.</p><p>“Am I dying?”</p><p>“There, now you can’t feel anything. Yes, I can do this. No, it isn’t permanent. No, this doesn’t mean you’re invincible. Get checked out as soon as possible. Did I miss anything? Are there any other stupid questions?”</p><p>“I like asking the stupid questions.”</p><p>“Stop for a minute. What are you smelling?”</p><p>“Can’t you just enhance my sense of smell and analyze the particles?”</p><p>“Do you feel better now?”</p><p>“Yes,” Kenna sniffed the air, “Smoke maybe?”</p><p>“Something’s burning.” Kenna followed the smoldering smoky smell to its conclusion. Catered in the side of quant hill was a pile of twisted metals burning with purple fire. Chained to this wreck was a large grey humanoid. Underneath its mangled appearance it seemed to be reptilian in nature with metal components fused across its body. Its mask had partially broken off in the crash allowing its prominent lipless teeth to bare much to Kenna’s displeasure. </p><p>“Is it dead?” asked Kenna.</p><p>“I don’t know.”</p><p>“Can’t you read its mind?”</p><p>“Not while averting Charlie’s gaze.”</p><p>“Okay, well, we found out what was freaking everybody out so much. I guess I’ll head back and we begin giving me the book smarts.”</p><p>“Cut off its head and take it back with you.”</p><p>“Excuse me?”</p><p>“I might be able to get something from it.”</p><p>“Might?”</p><p>“You owe me.”</p><p>“I am not touching that thing.”</p><p>“We had an agreement.”</p><p>“Yeah, to find out what’s going on. We found out. We did it. Good job team.”</p><p>“We have no idea what that is or what it is doing here and I’m not gonna give you anything unless you bring me that head.” The leaves crunched in the distance.</p><p>“What was that?”</p><p>“It’s getting louder. It’s probably Wolverine. Whatever, this has been such clusterfuck. Just get back before he spots you.” Kenna started walking back. “Go back a different way dipshit.” She changed direction and started following a large clearing that appeared to lead back towards the campus.</p><p>“Wolverine? Sage? Charlie? Am I supposed to know these people? I think I know who you’re talking about but-,”</p><p>“Wolverine is Logan, Storm is Ororo, Sage is Tessa, Charlie is Charles Xavier. Try to keep up.”</p><p>“Are these just affectionate nicknames you’ve made for them.”</p><p>“Everybody has them. They were originally given those aliases as a method of counterintelligence, but some of them have such a reputation now it has become more of a title.”</p><p>“Weird, but okay. I thought you were jamming them; how did Wolverine even find me?”</p><p>“I don’t know. He can track by scent but yours is probably all over the place from the last time you were here.”</p><p>“But I’ve never been out here.”</p><p>“Yes, you have. This was where you ran when you freaked out the first day.” Kenna didn’t know what he was talking about until she looked at the clearing more closely. All the trees had fallen in the same direction. The deep depressions she had been trying to avoid were footprints. If it had only been these alone she could have kept herself. However, caked in the frozen mud she spotted what remained of a crushed deer.</p><p>“What? What’s wrong?” asked the voice in her head. She remained motionless fixated on what remained of the lifeless creature. “Is it the deer? Are you sad about the deer? Are you really that much of a bleeding heart that killing a deer is this big of a deal to you?”</p><p>“Did I even feel it?” she asked herself. The leaves crunched behind her. She turned around expecting to see a very cross Logan. What she found was the alien crash survivor taking aim at her. She hardly had time to register what it was doing, but the voice in her head caught on much more quickly. He forced her knees to buckle, sending her into the pit as the bright projectile fired from the hunk of metal attached to its arm. It narrowly missed. Burnt flakes of bark rained down on her from where it met its mark. The creature launched another volley of the brilliant light hitting in and around the hole she had fallen into kicking up dirt as they ripped into the ground. Kenna tried to make herself as small as possible. Tightly holding her ears to protect them from the aggressive humming of the shots.</p><p>Until it stopped. Kenna was tempted to pop her head out to gauge why it ever would, but before the questions could even be asked the metallic beeping answer plopped onto the hard earth next her. While she had never seen anything like this thin rectangular object before, the exponentially quickening pace of the beeps had strong grenade tones. It was at that time several questions went through her mind. Does her mutation work if she’s dead? Could this thing be dis-armed? Why isn’t she at least trying to run away instead of gawking at it like some slack jawed idiot?</p><p>As the object’s beeps climaxed Logan, out of nowhere, dove on it. When she mustered up enough courage to open her eyes again, she was a distance away staring at the headless body of her assailant. Not feeling anything in moments in between she looked herself over finding mostly everything there and working. She certainly fared better then Logan. Who’s heavily tattered and scorched remains never moved from where it was planted. “Logan,” she called out to him. She didn’t expect him to answer but given the nature of her betters she secretly hoped he’d get up like it was no big deal. “Hey, whoever you are, is Logan okay?” she asked. Not even the voice that had so blatantly invaded her mind was responding to her anymore.</p><p>“Logan!” she yelled out a little louder in hopes he didn’t hear her the first time. A chilling thought began to emerge. While she was aware Franny had been essentially killed and brought back to life she had no idea what went into performing such a feat. Did Elixir require all of the deceased to revive them? Was it only specific people? Did he need to get to the victim before a certain amount of time? If she didn’t act now would he be beyond Elixir’s ability? Unabated by anyone to bounce ideas off of they collected in her brain at alarming speeds as she scrambled towards him.</p><p>Despite her best efforts he was almost impossible to move. She absolutely couldn’t believe a man of his stature was this insanely heavy. Kenna would be the first to admit her own physical faults, but he would hardly budge. The very best she could do was turn him over and she regretted that instantly. Almost his entire front side was blown off. Just meat and bones. Shiny bones at that, the metallic sheen of his skeleton briefly distracted her from the gruesomeness his visage had become until the flesh started to reclaim it. All that he had lost was sewing itself back together in a grotesque display. Kenna was as relieved as she was horrified.</p><p>“You wouldn’t happen to have a cigar on you?” asked Logan as his face completed its work.</p><p>“No,” said Kenna.</p><p>“Beer?”</p><p>“No,”</p><p>“Great,” He pushed himself up and reclined against the side of the hole.</p><p>“I-,”</p><p>“Don’t bother Pinky filled me in.”</p><p>“Is there anything I can do to help with-,”</p><p>“Stop talking,” said Logan cracking his neck. They sat there for a long while with nothing but the occasional stream of lightning to keep them company. “Are you alright?” he asked, finally breaking the silence.</p><p>“Yes sir, I’m fine.”</p><p>“Good.”</p><p>“Is this it?” Kenna asked looking up into the sky.</p><p>“Is this what?” He asked as if annoyed by the question.</p><p>“How it all ends?”</p><p>“No.”</p><p>“Mr. Logan?”</p><p>“What?” he asked in the same annoyed tone.</p><p>“Are you sure?”</p><p>“Look just stick with me and you’ll be fine. I’m the best at what I do.”</p><p>“Teach history?”</p><p>“No, but I am pretty good at that too.”</p><p>“Would you be receptive to some constructive criticism?”</p><p>“Are you serious?”</p><p>“You seem to focus a lot on the more military part of history.”</p><p>“Aliens are pouring out of a hole in the sky above Manhattan and you’re complaining about my class?”</p><p>“I’m just saying other things happened in history that didn’t involve people shooting each other.”</p><p>“Yeah, well, I wasn’t around for those.”</p><p>“And honestly I’d really like to be in one of those parts now.”</p><p>“Me too kid.”</p><p>“Are we winning?”</p><p>“No, but we’re not losing either. Rodgers managed to keep the fight in the Manhattan area, we’re just getting some of the bolder scouts right now.”</p><p>“If you’re the best at what you do then why aren’t you there?”</p><p>“Cause when Summers doesn’t have his head up his ass he’s actually pretty good at what he does too.”</p><p>“That doesn’t answer my question.”</p><p>“To keep you alive.”</p><p>“I like this answer and enjoy everything it implies.”  Logan grunted as he stood up.</p><p>“Can you walk?”</p><p>“I think so, why?”</p><p>“We need to get moving. Chuck said they just launched a nuke.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“It’s just a little further this way,” said Kenna. As the day filtered through the trees Kenna was trying to retrace her journey to the crash site. Franny was in tow, intrigued with Kenna’s account of the event. “I think.”</p><p>“I swear, if you figured out a way to lie to me.”</p><p>“Why would I lie to you about this?”</p><p>“To see if your method works?”</p><p>“I nearly died like three times! I had to see Elixir cause I had nerve damage!”</p><p>“I’m just saying I could be watching the news right now.”</p><p>“I can’t watch it anymore. They make it sound like the Avengers saved the world all by themselves.”</p><p>“I mean, Iron Man did fly the nuke right up into that fat butthole in the sky.”</p><p>“Not even, like, a shout out to the people we sent in there.”</p><p>“Something tells me that Xavier doesn’t want the attention.”</p><p>“Why not? Isn’t he trying to show that mutants and not mutants can peacefully coexist? I feel like helping to save the world would give that some credibility.”</p><p>“I’m sure there’s a reason.”</p><p>“Especially since John didn’t come back.”</p><p>“When’s the funeral again?”</p><p>“One.”</p><p>“Did you know him?”</p><p>“Not personally, seemed nice enough though. You?”</p><p>“He subbed for my remedial class once. Talked to us like we were family. It was weird but in a good kind of way.” Kenna stopped.</p><p>“Well, here it is.”</p><p>“Oh.”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“I expected more.”</p><p>“It’s a fuckin alien!”</p><p>“You’re right. I guess a walking torso is kind of alien.”</p><p>“No, it’s head is over there.”</p><p>“Then this has been very disappointing.”</p><p>“A fuckin alien Franny! It came from space!”</p><p>“I don’t know. I guess I just expected something a lot less familiar.”</p><p>“You’ve seen these things before?”</p><p>“No, but I’ve seen Morlocks that were more alien than this.”</p><p>“Well then you’re probably going to hate their ship,” said Kenna walking towards the crash site.</p><p>“What is it like a literal flying saucer?”</p><p>“It’s more like a sled.”</p><p>“Ugh, why can’t aliens be more alien?”</p><p>“Why? What’s your ideal alien? What did you want to invade Earth?”</p><p>“A form a life so abstract that words and science have no way to describe it.”</p><p>“Yes, I can vividly see it now. ‘Earth invaded by confusing concept'.”</p><p>“It doesn’t have to be confusing. It just can’t be described.”</p><p>“World leaders fail to give into incomprehensible demands.”</p><p>“Describing these aliens would be like trying to describe color to a blind person.”</p><p>“Planet surrenders to lazy writing,” Franny cut her across the cheek, “Ow!”</p><p>“You’re not allowed to ask for my opinion and then make fun of it.”</p><p>“I’m sorry to tell you this Franny, but reality is often disappointing. Much like this space sled,” said Kenna talking over her shoulder as she crested the hill, “Whether you like it or not these are our aliens. toboggan flying, laser shooting, metal wearing-.”</p><p>“Kenna,” said Franny tapping her on the shoulder.</p><p>“What?” Franny motioned towards the crash-site. There were two professionally dressed men staring at them from the crash site. One was balding skinny gentlemen while the other was a larger fit-fat house of a man with scars across his face. “Oh.” Both parties were stunned. Neither one of them had expected to bump into the other. With nobody wanting to acknowledge being caught in the act Kenna took a slow step backwards.</p><p>“Nope,” said the larger of the two strangers. Kenna and Franny exchanged glances with each other. Kenna switched gears and took a slow step forward with her hand outstretched.</p><p>“Hello, my name is Kenna and it’s-,” he drew a gun. Franny twitched.</p><p>“Hey! Hey, let’s just all calm down. Hi, I’m agent,” the skinnier man paused for a moment, “Bob, and the professional pointing the personal defense weapon at you is agent Bill.” agent Bill frowned at the sound of his name. “And I assume you are students here at the school?”</p><p>“You shouldn’t be talking to them,” said agent Bill.</p><p>“Yes, students, we are students. And they will come looking for us if we are killed in the woods,” said Kenna.</p><p>“They’re mutants. The blue one is on our list too.” said agent Bill.</p><p>“Really?,” said agent Bob pulling out his phone.</p><p>“Hi Hatton.” said Franny annoyed.</p><p>“You know him?” asked Kenna.</p><p>“We’re acquainted,” said Franny.</p><p>“Put down your phone. Mutants are capable of anything,” said agent Bill.</p><p>“I am sponge and she is fish!” blurted Kenna.</p><p>“Kenna!” yelled Franny.</p><p>“What!? They’re as scared as we are! She has retractable claws and her headlight can get crazy bright.”</p><p>“Kenna gets bigger with water.”</p><p>“Franny!”</p><p>“What!? You’re giving away all my shit!”</p><p>“It’s embarrassing.”</p><p>“Shut up both of you,” said agent Bill.</p><p>“Bill, they're trying to work us. So, let's work with them and lower the gun please.” Bill dug out two flex cuffs and tossed it at Kenna’s feet.</p><p>“Put those on.”</p><p>“Sure thing,” said Kenna, picking them up.</p><p>“Kenna, come on,” said Franny.</p><p>“What? He has a gun. What am I supposed to be doing right now?”</p><p>“Not giving away every bit of our negotiating power.”</p><p>“No don’t, one of those was meant for her.” said Bill watching Kenna placing one of the flex cuffs around her ankles.</p><p>“Oh, I thought you wanted me, like, super cuffed for some reason,” said Kenna before she pulled the ones around her wrists tight with her teeth.</p><p>“And you were supposed to do those behind your back!” said Bill</p><p>“Well you didn’t say that!” said Kenna.</p><p>“It’s true, you didn’t say that Bill. You really need to be clearer about these things,” said Bob digging out another set and throwing it to Franny’s feet. Franny looked at Kenna, sighed as loudly as she possibly could, and slid the flex cuffs on behind her back.</p><p>“Would you be so kind?” asked Franny. Kenna hopped closer and pulled the flexible plastic tight.</p><p>“Okay, we did what you asked. I think this proves we’re friendly. Can you put the gun away please?”</p><p>“Sit down and don’t move. I’m going to call this in,” said Bill. They reluctantly complied.</p><p>“Do we really have to call this in?” asked Bob.</p><p>“It’s protocol,” said Bill, pulling out his radio.</p><p>“I apologize for agent Bill he, uh, he’s had rough assignments with mutants. What are you both doing out here? We were told the student body was going to be attending a funeral at twelve,” said Bob.</p><p>“I thought you said the funeral was at one?” said Franny.</p><p>“I thought it was,” said Kenna.</p><p>“So, let me get this straight, you and your friend here were meandering in the woods before a funeral to?” asked Bob</p><p>“See the alien,” said Kenna.</p><p>“You knew it was here?”</p><p>“I found it earlier and I wanted to show Franny.”</p><p>“Why?”</p><p>“I thought it was cool.”</p><p>“So, you’re telling me that you saw this thing crash, realized and recognized it as alien, and your first reaction was to show your friend?”</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>“You weren’t scared of any alien contaminants or wanted to loot it for your own personal gain.”</p><p>“Nah I just thought it was cool. Is it contaminated? Are we gonna die!?”</p><p>“Wow, uh, okay. Wow, Bill, hey Bill,” said Bob.</p><p>“What?” said Bill</p><p>“Have you called it in already?”</p><p>“They’re redirecting me.”</p><p>“Good, let’s just pretend we didn’t see them.”</p><p>“That’s against protocol.”</p><p>“I know, I know, but look at them. They’re not up to anything. They’re just stupid kids in the wrong place at the wrong time.”</p><p>“I’m twenty-four,” said Kenna.</p><p>“And we’re spread thin as it is. We don’t need this. They’re not even on the Algorithm,” said Bob.</p><p>“Algorithm? What algorithm?” asked Bill.</p><p>“Zola’s Algorithm, the list of names that we need to-,” agent Bob trailed off, “What list were you talking about?”</p><p>“Get on the ground,” said Bill turning his weapon on Bob.</p><p>“Your programming didn’t kick in did it?”</p><p>“Get on the fuckin ground!”</p><p>“Hail H-,” said Bob. Bill discharged a round next to his foot cutting him off.</p><p>“The next one’s in the throat if you try to say another word!” said Bill. Bob said nothing, fitted his last flex cuff around his wrists behind his back, and got on the ground.</p><p>“You,” said Bill gesturing towards Kenna.</p><p>“Me?” asked Kenna.</p><p>“Yes, you. Tighten his flex cuffs, remove his belt, empty his pockets, gag him with his sock, and then move away. Is that specific enough for you?” said Bill.</p><p>“Why me?”</p><p>“If he’s what I think he is, he might have planned for this.”</p><p>“Just call it it in!”</p><p>“I will as soon as you do everything I told you to do.”</p><p>“Why not now!?”</p><p>“He’s waiting for me to get distracted. I can see it in his eyes.”</p><p>“What does it look like?”</p><p>“Kenna whose side are you on!?” asked Franny.</p><p>“We’re on sides now!? When did that happen!?” asked Kenna.</p><p>“When one of them mentioned he’s following a list of a known war criminal from World War two! You should know that you’re taking a history class!”</p><p>“Logan hasn’t gotten there yet! He’s really stuck on the Civil War for some reason!”</p><p>“Just do it!”</p><p>“Okay! Stop yelling at me!” Kenna rolled over to Bob and performed as Bill had directed, she even put both of his socks in his mouth for good measure. Bill let out a sigh as Kenna rolled back next to Franny. He pulled out his phone.</p><p>“Mr. Bill,” said Kenna.</p><p>“What?” asked Bill.</p><p>“I don’t know if this is important or not, but he swallowed something.”</p><p>“What did he swallow?”</p><p>“I don’t know.”</p><p>“Fuck” Bill, afraid that Bob had ingested some type of concealed cyanide device, ran to him and turned him over. Bob cut himself loose and blew Bill’s head off. Kenna had never seen anything like it before. The shot came out of the palm that he pressed against Bill’s head. When he threw Bill’s body off him there was a cutting utensil sticking out of his other hand.</p><p>Bob’s hands were shaking. Whatever he had put into his arms was not meant for regular use and was causing him great discomfort. He placed the tip of the blade against a rock and forced back inside his arm until he heard an internal click. “What a waste,” he said, pulling the socks out of his mouth, “He was a good man. And a capable operative.” Kenna didn’t say anything. “Where’s your friend?” Franny was gone with nothing but some disturbed dirt to indicate she was ever there. “That’s fine. Stay if you’d like. I could use the company while I’m waiting,” he pulled out his phone and cleared his throat, </p><p>“Hey, yeah, this is agent Gabe Twining with recovery. We encountered two mutants at one of the Manchester impact sites. Agent Caleb Hatton is KIA. I’m fine right now, but please send support as soon as possible. Yes, yes please, thank you.” He hung up the phone.  “You know I’ve had these implants in my arms for so long I’d almost forgotten they were there. You think with all the security I go through I’d be constantly reminded, but at some point, they stopped even looking at my medical waiver. Life’s kind of funny like that, I guess.”</p><p>“Can you just kill me already,” said Kenna.</p><p>“I don’t want to kill you. I didn’t want to kill him. I don’t know if they messed up his programming or maybe he lost some hearing in that ear, but he didn’t deserve what just happened. And neither do you.”</p><p>“So, you’re letting me go?”</p><p>“You can hop away if you’d like. I won’t stop you. But you’re not going to get away completely. Sadly, I’m going to have to pin all of this on you and your friend. It’s going to go very poorly for you both. They might even have to send you to the Raft, but at least you’ll be alive right?”</p><p>“There’s people here that can read my mind idiot. They’ll figure out what went down here in two seconds.”</p><p>“Do you want me to? Never mind,” Kenna glared at him, “After the Samuel Sterns incident S.H.I.E.L.D doesn’t allow telepathic data as evidence. It can be too easily fabricated. And at that point it is your word versus ours.”</p><p>“You mean Professor Xavier’s word versus yours.”</p><p>“S.H.I.E.L.D heavily subsidizes this school. Xavier won’t be able to protect you without putting that at risk.”</p><p>“Gee I guess he’d have to survive on all that tuition money alone.”</p><p>“Let me ask you a question. Do you pay tuition?”</p><p>“No.”</p><p>“Does your friend pay tuition?”</p><p>“I don’t know. Probably not.”</p><p>“Nobody is paying tuition. The Xavier school for gifted youngsters is a completely tuition free non-profit institution.”</p><p>“Cool…wait.”</p><p>“Do you see the problem now?”</p><p>“Are you telling me you guys pay for all of this!?”</p><p>“There’s a few others,” he pulled out his phone, “Apparently various Alumni, a small city in Africa, and a bar in Madripoor feel like it’s worth the trouble. But I’m sure they can shoulder all the burden for a,” he scrolled through his phone some more, “Oh.”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“Just reading your file here.”</p><p>“Don’t do that.”</p><p>“Not very good with confrontation, are we?”</p><p>“Please, I really don’t want to talk about it.”</p><p>“Do you see what I’m getting at?”</p><p>“Yeah.”</p><p>“And sadly, your friend isn’t much of a prize either. It says here she-,” Franny flew down from the tree canopy with her wings outstretched. She sliced through the air with such speed and intensity that he hardly had time to react. She tore out a chunk of his neck with her teeth. It was well practiced, as if she had done it a thousand time. This man who had gone by many names in his life popped his wrist blade again and swiped at her for as long as he could before his swings got slower and slower. Franny spat out the hunk of neck flesh onto his dead body.</p><p>“Stop sitting there and cut me loose!” yelled Franny with blood still fresh on her lips. It had all happened so fast Kenna was still having trouble processing what had just happened. She rolled over and grabbed Bob’s bladed arm. “No! His belt has a, whatever, just hold it still.” Franny cut herself loose and used the knife on the agent’s belt to cut Kenna’s bindings as well. “Okay now we got to get rid of these bodies.”</p><p>“You have wings!?”</p><p>“Definitely not what you should be focused on right now,” said Franny wiping off her face.</p><p>“You just straight up killed that guy!”</p><p>“Try again.”</p><p>“How the fuck are we even going to get rid these bodies!?”</p><p>“There we go. Easily if you’d be willing to, you know.”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“Do your thing.”</p><p>“No! No! We need to just sit here and let this play out!”</p><p>“Yeah that worked well last time didn’t it.”</p><p>“The cover up is worse than the crime!”</p><p>“There’s no crime! We have done zero crimes! You saw what happened! There’s something else going on here and we’re definitely going to get pinned for it cause we’re mutants. It’s sad but it happens. But if you do your thing, I’m sure everybody is going to be so confused that accusing anybody of anything is going to look really dumb.”</p><p>“What exactly are you asking me to do here!?”</p><p>“Get huge and throw the bodies into a different county.”</p><p>“No! Just no Franny! That’s a terrible idea.”</p><p>“It’s a great idea! No body, no crime!”</p><p>“Yes but disturbing a crime scene is unto itself a crime!”</p><p>“I think it’s a grey area.”</p><p>“And what if I hit somebody!”</p><p>“What? With the bodies?”</p><p>“Yes!”</p><p>“You’d have my respect.”</p><p>“No! What?!”</p><p>“What? That’s an incredibly hard shot. I’d be very impressed.”</p><p>“Stop messing around this is serious!”</p><p>“Fine, go. I’ll tell them I killed them both. That’s half the truth anyway.”</p><p>“Franny.”</p><p>“School wasn’t working out anyway. Polite society just isn’t my thing.”</p><p>“Franny, come on. Don’t be like that.”</p><p>“Nah it’s fine. It’s fine.” Kenna knew what she was doing. Franny was as transparent as her body is at certain angles in certain lights. It was insulting, and it wasn’t even inadvertently insulting. Franny knew exactly what she was doing as well. Blatant and unapologetic emotional manipulation. </p><p>“Fine.”</p><p>“Cool, take off your clothes. I think I saw a river down that way. Will that be enough?”</p><p>“Compromise.”</p><p>“Compromise?”</p><p>“We don’t disturb the bodies, but we don’t exactly stick around to be finger pointed either.”</p><p>“Not only does that sound lazy, but I promise you they know my work and will be able to tell that I absolutely self-defensed this dude.”</p><p>“Murdered.”</p><p>“I felt threatened.”</p><p>“He didn’t even know you were there.”</p><p>“I felt threatened for you.” </p><p>“I don’t think it works like that.”</p><p>“Are you really defending a guy that would have been on the very wrong side in the last world war?”</p><p>“I’m not saying he didn’t have it coming, but I don’t think you were supposed to make that call.”</p><p>“What was I supposed to do?”</p><p>“I don’t know, go get help?”</p><p>“And leave you here with that guy?”</p><p>“The point is that even if they can tell you were here, they should also be able to tell that Bob killed Bill.” Franny opened her mouth like she was about to hit Kenna with all the reasons why that also wouldn’t work. But nothing came out.</p><p>“That’s actually not the dumbest thing you’ve ever said,” Franny reluctantly admitted.</p><p>“Really!?”</p><p>“Yes, oddly enough.”</p><p>“Woo!”</p><p>“But we’ll need to leave now. Questions are easier to dodge than bullets.”</p><p>“Okay, give me one second.”</p><p>“What? Why?”</p><p>“I’m going to grab their phones.”</p><p>“No, no no no.”</p><p>“Franny, these guys knew stuff about this place. They have files on us. Imagine what else they have on there.”</p><p>“Do you want to get assassinated!? Cause that’s how you get assassinated. Ignorance is bliss. Trust me.”</p><p>“Just a quick peek.” Kenna said picking one up.</p><p>“No!” Franny grabbed it out of her hand and threw it into the woods before it exploded, “What did I just say!”</p><p>“Nothing about it exploding!”</p><p>“I said trust me! And what did you not do!?”</p><p>“Trust you.”</p><p>“And what did we learn!?”</p><p>“Trust you.”</p><p>“Good! Let’s go! We’ve been talking for a while and I’m really surprised they haven’t gotten here yet!” They took off running towards the school. By the time they got back there the funeral was already over. The hero, John Proudstar, had been laid to rest.  They didn’t even have time to even get to their rooms before Kitty confronted them in the hall of their dorm.</p><p>“Franny, we need to talk,” said Kitty. Kenna and Franny exchanged subtle glances at each other confused.</p><p>“Just Franny?” asked Kenna.</p><p>“Yes, just Franny. Why? What did you do?” asked Kitty. Kenna was about to say something before Franny yelled at her with her eyes. She closed her mouth, turned around, and walked away.</p><p>“And why are you both wearing flex cuffs!” asked Kitty.</p><p>As Kenna walked away faster questions piled into her mind. Why was Franny the only one she wanted to talk to? Did they not notice she wasn’t at the funeral either? Was it not as mandatory as they made it out to be? Was that even about missing the funeral? Did Franny get into something while she was getting shot at by aliens?</p><p>“Kenna!” yelled her doppelganger as she entered the room. It took Kenna a moment to remember what she was seeing.</p><p>“Elizabeth?” asked Kenna.</p><p>“No, it is I, your sister, Xenna,” she said dramatically.</p><p>“Where have you been? I thought you left.”</p><p>“Manhattan.”</p><p>“What!?”</p><p>“I’m here too,” said Ellie on her bed.</p><p>“Shush Ellie! Were you there when!?” said Kenna.</p><p>“Yes, it was crazy! Chitauri were everywhere!” said Elizabeth.</p><p>“Chitauri?”</p><p>“Aliens were everywhere!”</p><p>“Did you see any of the Avengers?”</p><p>“No, I was in a bar. They wouldn’t let me leave. He said I was safer there then out there.”</p><p>“Were you?”</p><p>“Oh yeah, he absolutely beat the shit out of an alien that stumbled in. He didn’t tell me what his ability was though.”</p><p>“What were you doing in a bar?”</p><p>“Drinking, obviously.”</p><p>“What were you doing in Manhattan to begin with?”</p><p>“Well, do you remember that time we found out what Ellie’s ability was and how I had to play Moo Moo to avoid detection.”</p><p>“Yes?”</p><p>“John, may he rest, drove me to the airport and bought me a plane ticket.”</p><p>“He deported you?”</p><p>“No, you see, he was trying to send me home. And I don’t really know this place that well. So, I said I was from the place everybody assumes I’m from.”</p><p>“You’re not from Australia?”</p><p>“No.”</p><p>“Britain?”</p><p>“Why not.”</p><p>“What did you do?”</p><p>“I tried to get back. But I may have gotten distracted by the locals.”</p><p>“You got distracted for a month?”</p><p>“You know, the sights, the sounds, the…abilities.”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“Nothing, it was a lovely prefecture until the alien hole opened up, so I stole a car and came back.”</p><p>“Did you steal it, while wearing, my face?” asked Kenna.</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>“Why!?”</p><p>“I didn’t want them to see my face?”</p><p>“They’ll think I stole the car!”</p><p>“That is the point.”</p><p>“Wait, how long were you wearing my face while you were over there!?”</p><p>“You have a hefty, bar tab by the way. You might have a drinking problem.”</p><p>“Can you guys keep it down please. I’m trying to study,” said Ellie.</p><p>“Ellie, I swear if you interrupt us again, I will shove Elliot into your portal just to see what happens,” said Kenna.</p><p>“It doesn’t let him in.”</p><p>“We’ll I guess I’ll just have to find out for myself now won’t I!?” said Kenna, kicking the door back open. There was a thud. Kenna looked in abject horror as she just realized she kicked the door with all her might into the golden miracle man known as Elixir. Who was now gushing blood from his nose.</p><p>“Shit! Shit! I’m so sorry! Are you okay! Please be okay! I’m so sorry!” yelled Kenna running up with a roll of paper towels.</p><p>“You killed Elixir!” screamed Ellie.</p><p>“No I didn’t! No I didn’t! Shut up Ellie! No I didn’t! What is doing here anyway!? No I didn’t!” she yelled desperately trying to slow the blood.”</p><p>“It’s okay,” said Elixir running his hand over his head to his nose. His nose straightened back up and the bleeding stopped.</p><p>“I thank goodness, I thought I killed you,” said Kenna.</p><p>“How would you kill him? He’s an omega level mutant with complete control over his and others physiology as long as he can make skin contact,” said Elizabeth. Kenna and Ellie looked at her. “What? He told me his ability.”</p><p>“It’s okay,” said Elixir getting up.</p><p>“Are you sure!? Is there anything I can get you or? I don’t know.” He blew his nose into the paper towel.</p><p>“I need help.”</p><p>“With what!? I’ll do anything!”</p><p>“I need to save John.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“What do you mean no?” asked Kenna. They were in Franny’s room. She was trying to ignore Kenna while packing a duffel bag.</p><p>“I can’t go with you,” said Franny, still packing.</p><p>“The dude does nothing but heal and help and you can’t be bothered to go Manhattan with us?”</p><p>“First of all, it doesn’t add up.”</p><p>“He saved your life.”</p><p>“John’s dead, they had a whole funeral that we missed. If he could have been saved they would have done it.”</p><p>“He said he needs more of the pieces and those pieces are in Manhattan and that’s why he needs us to get him there.”</p><p>“So, you’re going to sneak out of here with one of Xavier’s most important assets and travel all the way to war-torn Manhattan to search the entire city for non-descript piles of meat that’s probably already been eaten by the zillions of rats that inhabit the area.”</p><p>“He would have done it for you.”</p><p>“That’s what I’m kind of worried about.”</p><p>“You’re worried that he’s probably the best of us?”</p><p>“What’s his name?”</p><p>“Elixir?”</p><p>“His real name.”</p><p>“I don’t know. He only ever goes by Elixir.”</p><p>“Have you ever known anybody else here to do that?”</p><p>“No?”</p><p>“Something’s off about him.”</p><p>“So, you’re not going to help cause he’s weird?”</p><p>“No, actually cause Kitty told me they need me for something. Said it was important and that she doesn’t know how long it will take. I’m taking clothes just in case.”</p><p>“Did she say anything about what happened yesterday?”</p><p>“Nope, and until somebody else says otherwise neither will I.” Kenna looked at her bag.</p><p>“Whose clothes are these?”</p><p>“Noriko’s.”</p><p>“Franny.”</p><p>“Don’t judge me with your judge-y face you’re doing the exact same thing! Maybe if you’d dig our stuff out a little faster I wouldn’t need to resort to stealing this bitch’s clothes.”</p><p>“I haven’t seen Layla for over a month now! She’s gone. And she’s probably not coming back for her clothes! Noriko is still using those!”</p><p>“Why did he ask you anyway? Surely there’s someone in his dorm that can do this better.”</p><p>“Apparently I came recommended.”</p><p>“As a general agent of chaos?”</p><p>“As, a someone stupid enough to try something like this.”</p><p>“It’s good for you to hear that.”</p><p>“I don’t care. I’m going to help him. Or at least I’m going to try. Elizabeth is setting off a distraction at eight. I’m meeting with Elixir by her car fifty feet west of the cemetery. I told them you’d come because you knew the area well, but it’s fine. If you can’t make it, you can’t make it.”</p><p>“Guilt doesn’t work on me. I wish I could help you out, but these are not Franny problems and I’m needed somewhere else.”</p><p>“Fair enough, good luck with your thing I guess.”</p><p>“You too.” Kenna cursed bitterly to herself as she left the building. Without Franny to guide them around like she had planned it was going to make the whole ordeal much more difficult and much more dangerous. Now it was just her and Elixir gallivanting into an alien graveyard she was bound to get lost in.</p><p>When seven had finally rolled around it was dark. The night air was cool. Kenna was where she had tried to be at this time to not raise suspicion. She had asked Forge a few times now what she needed to do after the debris had been all cleared up. And he would always tell her that they’d cross that bridge when they get to it, to feel free to give up anytime, or the whole thing would probably go a lot faster if she actually learned to use her gift. Finding those answers unreasonable and oddly phrased she stopped asking after a while.</p><p>They hadn’t agreed upon a signal. Nothing obvious anyway. Elizabeth didn’t even bother to tell them how she was going to pull this off. Said that would ruin the surprise. They only agreed to meet at the car at eight. When Kenna casually strolled up to the meeting area unchallenged, she assumed everything worked out. Which was unto itself concerning. But not nearly as concerning as what she found at the meeting place. Elixir was already there, but he was with four other people hanging around the car and the car was more like a damaged and oddly colored police car just sitting in the middle of the woods.</p><p>“Elliot, what are you doing here?” asked Kenna. Before he could respond Yuuto threw a notecard at her face. Kenna glared at him and picked it up off the ground.</p><p>“We know what’s going on. We’re coming with you,” said the card.</p><p>“I’ve never been to New York before,” said Elliot.</p><p>“We’re in New York now Elliot. You’re standing in it,” said Kenna.</p><p>“No, I mean the real New York. The big apple,” said Elliot.</p><p>“Okay, whatever, that explains you two. What’s with him?” asked Kenna pointing at the man with a thick jacket and black fabric covering his mouth. He gave her a thumbs up.</p><p>“That’s Jono. He wanted to help too,” said Elliot.</p><p>“Can he speak?” asked Kenna.</p><p>“Yes,” Jono said in her head. The word echoed in her mind like a reverberating speaker. It was nauseating.</p><p>“Can you speak with your mouth?”</p><p>“No,” said Jono.</p><p>“Okay, and what’s your-,”</p><p>“Hi I’m Crystal! It’s a pleasure to meet you,” said Crystal outstretching her hand. She was slightly taller than Kenna and had several scars on one cheek. One of them was fresher than the others.</p><p>“Kenna,” she said, taking her hand, “Likewise?” Crystal squeezed and nearly crushed her hand. Kenna wiggled loose.</p><p>“Ow! What in the, just, ow!” yelled Kenna.</p><p>“Sorry! Sorry! Handshakes are new to me. I was told grip strength was a sign of respect and I’m very excited to work with you. I think we will be good friends.” Her accent was strange, it sounded like some mesh of Asian-European accents. All she knew for sure was that English was not her first language.</p><p>“And you’re here to help I assume?”</p><p>“Yes, I am told I’m good at helping.”</p><p>“You all know what we’re doing is going to be at least illegal right? We’re leaving without permission to drive a stolen police car into what is probably a not so safe area,” she said addressing the group.</p><p>“Why are you here then?” asked Elliot.</p><p>“Because Elixir deserves to have someone help him out for once,” said Kenna.</p><p>“Well, we agree,” said Elliot.</p><p>“You’re going in the trunk Elliot.”</p><p>“What?” Kenna popped the trunk. She struggled with Elliot until Crystal cut in and forced him into the trunk.</p><p>“I’m helping!” said Crystal as she closed the trunk.</p><p>“So, you’re all really going through with this? Once I get that car started, we’re not turning around.” None of them bothered to answer. Only Jono even bothered to acknowledge the question with a shrug.</p><p>“Alrighty then, by the powers invested in me I pronounce us all really dumb. Let’s go.” They all piled into the car with the men sitting in back and Kenna and Crystal sitting up front. To her relief the car came with a GPS system and while it was confused as to why the car was in the middle of the woods it did have plans for getting back to the road. To her distress there was a hole in the divider that usually kept the back seat from getting to the front seat.</p><p>“Wait!” yelled Kenna’s “sister” as she turned on the car. Elizabeth scooted Crystal over and got in the passenger seat. “Okay go.”</p><p>“What are you doing?! I thought you were doing distraction!?”</p><p>“Distraction done. They are thoroughly distracted. We should go.”</p><p>“What did you do?”</p><p>“I trapped some of them in their room of danger. We should go.”</p><p>“Are they safe?”</p><p>“We really should be going.”</p><p>“I am not going to drive away with their super doctor if they’re dead.”</p><p>“They’re as safe as they can be in a room labeled for danger.”</p><p>“Elizabeth.”</p><p>“I modified the running danger room program to give a false exit. When, whoever, tries to leave it will just simulate the manor from then on out. I tipped the rest of them off so now they’re trying to get the others out. The greatest threat they’re facing right now is dehydration.</p><p>“You can do that?”</p><p>“Yeah I’ve had some experience with Shi’ar tech.”</p><p>“Shi’ar?”</p><p>“Are we going or not!?”</p><p>“Hi I’m Crystal!” said Crystal offering her hand.</p><p>“Oh, Elizabeth Danvers. What’s your-,” Elizabeth stopped mid-sentence as she shook her hand, “Your handshake is weak, and it offends me.”</p><p>“No! I’m sorry! Here let me try again,” said Crystal crushing her hand.</p><p>“Ah!” screamed Elizabeth as slowly drove them out of the forest. The drive was silent at first. The conversational ice was thick with unfamiliarity. Beyond the moment to moment meetings none of them had really worked with each other on something like this. Kenna finally decided to say something, anything, to keep the silence from killing her.  </p><p>“So Crystal,” said Kenna.</p><p>“Food,” said Elizabeth staring out the window.</p><p>“Food?” said Kenna.</p><p>“Food,” said Elizabeth.</p><p>“I wasn’t really planning on making any stops. I know we didn’t really plan this out, but we should probably just get in and get out.” Yuuto threw a notecard on the dashboard from the back. It was faceup and Kenna was able to read it off the reflection in the windshield.</p><p>“Food,” it said.</p><p>“You don’t get an opinion,” said Kenna.</p><p>“Food,” said Jono’s nauseating telepathic voice.</p><p>“This isn’t a road trip! This is a mission! We are on a mission!” said Kenna</p><p>“Food!” said Crystal excitedly.</p><p>“We don’t even have any money!” yelled Kenna. Yuuto threw a giant rolled up wad of cash onto the dashboard. “Elixir help me out here!” said Kenna.</p><p>“It’s fine,” said Elixir.</p><p>“What do you even want to eat?” asked Kenna.</p><p>“Pizza,” most said at different times.</p><p>“Something truly disgusting!” yelled Crystal excitedly.</p><p>“Mexican!” cried a muffled Elliot that nobody heard.</p><p>“Fine! But we’re just going to pick it up! We’re not eating there!” yelled Kenna. They pulled off onto exit six into a town called Katonah. The city felt old and new at the same time. Lots of short closely packed buildings with many intersecting roads. A modern village of sorts. The GPS led her to a small pizza joint called the “Pizza Station”. It looked quaint, like someone was trying to run a pizza business out of the first floor of their house. </p><p>While she didn’t plan on the detour, the occasion did let her live out her fantasy of slapping a big wad of cash onto the counter and asking for whatever she wanted. The food dispensary was more than happy to indulge this false sense of wealth. During her wait she wondered if there were any long term consequences for using money they conjured from nothing. It was in this train of thought did she realize there were two police vehicles now parked in front. She quickly ran outside to find everyone minus Crystal standing around an unconscious police officer while Yuuto was siphoning their gas into his police SUV.</p><p>“What happened!?” yelled Kenna. There was blood on the officer’s uniform. “Yuuto!”</p><p>“He’s fine,” said Elixir. Yuuto handed her a notecard.</p><p>“How could you possibly know he was about to call for backup?” asked Kenna. He pulled out another notecard. Kenna swatted it away. “If you think about this Kenna this is kind of your fault. He was right across the street. I thought you saw him,” said Elizabeth.</p><p>“Why didn’t you say anything!?” yelled Kenna.</p><p>“I wanted to see how it played out,” said Elizabeth.</p><p>“Did it live up to your expectations!?” yelled Kenna.</p><p>“No, nobody did anything I haven’t seen before.”</p><p> “Just, shut up Elizabeth. Where’s Crystal?” she asked.</p><p>“Window shopping,” said Elizabeth pointing two houses over.</p><p>“Okay, get everybody back in the car. I’ll grab Crystal and pizza and if everything works out, we’ll go before anybody realizes what happened,” Kenna hastily instructed as she got further and further away. She found Crystal with her face pressed up against the glass of a clothing store. “Crystal let’s go!” yelled Kenna.</p><p>“I want them,” said Crystal. Kenna took a quick glance at what had caught her attention. While they were nice clothes there was nothing in there, that Kenna could tell, that would catch the eye. In fact, the clothes Crystal was wearing looked higher end then what was presented.</p><p>“Don’t we all. Let’s go,” said Kenna. Crystal took a deep breath.</p><p>“Just one,” Crystal said, not even bothering to look at Kenna.</p><p>“They’re closed.”</p><p>“On the way back?”</p><p>“We’re coming back tonight. They’ll still be closed.” Crystal took another deep breath.</p><p>“We could take them now? And pay for them later?”</p><p>“Crystal this isn’t helping.” Crystal took another deep breath; this one was longer than the ones before. Pulling her face away from the glass Crystal huffed back towards the car. She had pressed her head against the window so hard the glass had cracked slightly. Kenna felt bad, for reasons she didn’t quite understand, but not enough to act on it. Especially when she found out everybody had piled into the wrong police vehicle.</p><p>“Elizabeth!” yelled Kenna.</p><p>“This one is better, bigger, and has much less blood on it,” said Elizabeth tossing her the keys.</p><p>“Whatever, did you at least move Elliot into the trunk?” asked Kenna.</p><p>“Yes?” said Elizabeth. Kenna popped the trunk of the old car. He was still in there.</p><p>“What’s going on? Where’s the pizza?” asked Elliot. Kenna groaned.</p><p>“Crystal, would you please move him into the new car while I grab the pizza,” asked Kenna.</p><p>“Wait no! Please! I need to pee!” yelled Elliot as Kenna back into the shop. The manager was on the phone and stopped talking the moment she walked back in. The mood had changed considerably since last time. They seemed worried. Kenna peeked over her shoulder just enough to watch Crystal shove Elliot into the back. Her order was already on the counter. Without anybody saying a word she placed the rest of the cash on the counter. The cashier cautiously slid the pizzas towards her. She grabbed the food, nodded her head, and left as quickly as she could. And Just like that they were back on the road with the aroma of pizza filling the car as Kenna’s passengers pawed for whatever they could grab. Except for Elixir, who didn’t seem interested.</p><p>“Elixir are you okay?” Kenna asked over the free-for-all.</p><p>“I’m fine,” said Elixir. She wanted to believe him. But, in her experience, people are lying when they say that.</p><p>“Are you sure?” she asked again not sure what to expect. He made eye-contact with her through the rear-view mirror.</p><p>“I am fine,” he said with a little more stern in his words. He definitely wasn’t, but neither was she. Even a simple stop for pizza quickly spiraled into money counterfeiting, grand theft auto, and pseudo-murder. It was troubling. Just like the noises Crystal was making while she was eating her pizza. She was completely enamored with the greasy meal and it was making everybody a little uncomfortable.</p><p>“Crystal?” asked Kenna. Crystal didn’t answer. “Crystal!” said Kenna again.</p><p>“What?” she finally answered, breaking the triangle trance.</p><p>“How is your pizza?”</p><p>“Delightfully underwhelming,”</p><p>“What does that even mean?”</p><p>“It’s good.”</p><p>“Have you ever had pizza before?”</p><p>“No, but it let me down in all the ways I could have ever wanted.”</p><p>“Where are you from?” Kenna asked hoping to keep the conversation going long enough never to hear her pizza eating noises ever again.</p><p>“Overseas,” said Crystal.</p><p>“Anywhere specific?”</p><p>“No.”</p><p>“Europe? Asia? Russia?”</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>“Sounds like you get around.”</p><p>“We do.”</p><p>“Which one was your favorite?”</p><p>“You’re not going to get anywhere interrogating her like that Kenna. You need to give her a reason to answer your questions.” said Elizabeth.</p><p>“I’m not interrogating her. I’m just trying to make conversation,” said Kenna</p><p>“Tell Kenna where you’re really from or she’ll drive into something,” said Elizabeth.</p><p>“Crystal I’m not going to drive into anything. You don’t have to answer the question. We can absolutely talk about anything else if the question makes you uncomfortable for whatever reason,” said Kenna.</p><p>“How long until we get there?” asked Crystal.</p><p>“We have about thirty minutes,” said Kenna.</p><p>“What do friends normally do on long trips?” asked Crystal.</p><p>“Talk, play games, listen to music,” two police cars pulled behind them, “avoid the police.” Their lights turned on while the sirens blared. “Elizabeth, can you?”</p><p>“Impersonate a magistrate?” asked Elizabeth.</p><p>“Yes please, I was told that questions are easier to dodge then bullets.”</p><p>“If only Yuuto agreed with that.”</p><p>“Why?” Yuuto opened the door and released caltrops from his hands. They tore apart their pursuer’s tires forcing them onto the side of the road.</p><p>“Yuuto! Come man! Have we not pissed off the police enough today!” yelled Kenna. Yuuto threw a notecard on the dashboard. “Crystal can you read that to me?”</p><p>“We had no other option,” Crystal read aloud.</p><p>“Elizabeth could have changed into a police officer and could have convinced them she was taking us somewhere.” Yuuto threw another notecard on the dashboard.</p><p>“As I said, we had no other option,” Crystal read aloud again.</p><p>“Yuuto I will stop this car!” yelled Kenna.</p><p>“You can change shape?” Crystal asked Elizabeth. Her body twisted and morphed until she matched the elemental’s appearance.</p><p>“Hello sister, it is me, Krystal, mother of the sliders.”</p><p>“My family told stories of an ancient enemy that could change its shape. They were conquerors that used lies and deceit to ravage the worlds beyond our skies,” said Crystal.</p><p>“That’s so interesting, I’ve definitely heard the same stories. Except, the people I heard them from, weren’t mutants. But they weren’t exactly human either. Isn’t that funny?” said Elizabeth. They kept talking with hushed words. It was rude, right in front of her, and she didn’t appreciate it. She looked at Jono through the rear-view mirror. Her experiences with telepathic mutants were not well practiced but she thought this would be a good time to try.</p><p>“What are they saying?” she thought. He didn’t acknowledge her. “What are they saying!?” she thought louder. He picked his nose thinking nobody was looking at him.</p><p>“Jono are you not one of the mind mutants?” Kenna asked out loud. He quickly flicked away the booger hoping she didn’t notice.</p><p>“No,” thought Jono.</p><p>“Are you messing with me?”</p><p>“Secondary mutation. I can talk but I can’t hear.”</p><p>“What was the first mutation?” He pulled down his face wrapping just enough to reveal that in lieu of a lower jaw there was a burning energy barely contained by the fabric.</p><p>“Kenna,” said Crystal, tapping her on the shoulder.</p><p>“What?” asked Kenna looking back at the road. They were speeding towards a police roadblock. “Oh.” She slowed the car to a stop. “Shit.” Jono began taking off his coat. “No! no, I don’t even know what you can do, but I assume it would kill them all. Am I close?” He shrugged. “Then please don’t we’re capable people, we can figure this out without murdering everybody.”</p><p>“I don’t see the problem,” said Elizabeth.</p><p>“Murder is bad and doing it would hand a loaded gun to anybody who thinks mutants are monsters.”</p><p>“It wouldn’t be ‘murder’ if Elixir brought them back to life,” said Elizabeth.</p><p>“It still would be, and even if it wasn’t. It’s still a whole host of other things I’d rather us not be associated with. Besides I’m sure Elixir doesn’t want to be used as a cheap way of escaping consequences.”</p><p>“It’s fine,” said Elixir.</p><p>“No, it’s not! Just because we’re mutants doesn’t mean we can do whatever we want! Just the opposite! We need to be even more careful than anybody else. We don’t’ get a pass just cause one of us can bring back the dead!” yelled Kenna. Two police cars started to approach them. “Fuck.” She faced the back and shifted into reverse. Crystal opened her hand towards the envoy. The road engulfed them.</p><p>“Wait, where’d they go?” asked Kenna looking back towards the front.</p><p>“I put them in the ground,” Crystal said proudly.</p><p>“You killed them!?” yelled Kenna.</p><p>“No! No! I, uh, uh, trapped them, in the ground. Crystal help.”</p><p>“You can do tha-,” Kenna was interrupted by a hail of bullets of various calibers. The roadblock was shooting at them. Elixir, even as he was getting shot himself, mended every wound so quickly nobody had a chance to die. Between shots Crystal once again raised her hand against the barrage. The tiny bits of ferrous material flying at them bounced off an invisible barrier.</p><p>“Is everybody alright?” asked Kenna looking around frantically.</p><p>“They’re fine,” said an unconcerned Elixir.</p><p>“Jono, you’re up,” said Elizabeth coughing up stray blood.</p><p>“Don’t listen to her Jono, Crystal,” said Kenna.</p><p>“I’m sorry!” said Crystal.</p><p>“Put us in the ground.” Crystal didn’t even bother to question her. The road opened up and engulfed them as well. “Okay, now can you move everything out of the way that allows us a path to drive forward,” said Kenna waving her hands around like a crazy person. Crystal reached out forcing the rock to swirl into a self-creating tunnel.</p><p>“Crystal help?” asked Crystal.</p><p>“Yes! Crystal help! Keep doing that!” Kenna pushed the car into the vortex. It was loud. A maelstrom within the earth. A road with no end. The GPS lost them. Crystal gasped for breath. Sparks few. Pipes burst. The longer they were down there the less say Crystal had on where they were going. Then the water came. Their journey through what lies beneath had led them to a body of water in a vessel not equipped for such things. In its prime the vehicle was good for keeping out the rain but here, weakened and worn, it could not hope to protect them from the wet. </p><p>Kenna was distraught. A flurry of emotions was hitting her all at once and none of them would agree with each other. The shock of the cold. The warmth of her manifesting mutation. The overwhelming trepidation of the situation if she didn’t act quickly. The part of her that wanted this. Crystal, finally regaining part of her composure, spread her arms apart stopping the water from getting in.</p><p>“Crystal, are you alright?” Kenna tried to ask calmly as her body began to betray her.</p><p>“Please don’t do that again,” said Crystal trying to catch her breath.</p><p>“I don’t suppose you can pull the rest of the water out, can you?” she asked, starting to feel cramped. Crystal shook her head. With great reservations she grabbed a shard of glass and dug it into her skin. It slowed things down, but it wasn’t stopping anything. She was exposed to so much so quickly that small cuts weren’t cutting it and anything deeper would risk losing consciousness. Her head started to get cozy with the roof. It was starting to dawn on everybody what was going on. She grabbed the handle reluctantly. Leaving the car was not an ideal but at least the car could be saved, and Elixir would have a little less to do.</p><p>Elixir grabbed her shoulder. She stopped growing and for a moment it seemed he diffused the situation entirely like it was no big deal. Until she started going again faster then before.</p><p>“What happened!?” asked a large confused Kenna who was now leaning over and taking up the seat behind her.</p><p>“Having trouble stopping it,” said the Elixir digging his fingernails into her.</p><p>“What happened to absolute control over this kind of stuff!?”</p><p>“Over physiology, not physics. If I stop the mutation mid process the pressure will build, and you will explode.”</p><p>“Explode!?”</p><p>“It’s fine, I’m exploring a work around.”</p><p>“Unless you can do it in the next three seconds I think it’s going to make-,”</p><p>“Take a deep breath and let it out slowly.”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“Do it now!” he yelled. She took a deep breath, really testing the integrity of the car, and exhaled. A great stream of burning gas was discharged from her mouth. The temperature spiked. It went from hot car to sauna to breathing in death. Crystal finally had enough and purged the vehicle of the steamy expulsion. When the vapors cleared Kenna was still of considerable size, but no longer gaining any. Satisfied with his work Elixir checked on everybody else and slumped back into his seat. With their only real mode of transportation beaten up and stranded at the bottom of a small aquatic valley with all the mobility of a dead fish he finally said what everybody was thinking.</p><p>“Well that was fun. So what do we do now?”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter 10</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Are sure this is going to work? Cause you need to be sure,” Kenna said to Elixir. They were sitting at the bottom of the Hudson river right next to Manhattan.</p><p>“I’m sure. As long as I’m making skin contact with you, I can suppress your mutation. You’ll be fine,” said Elixir.</p><p>“But that didn’t work last time!”</p><p>“It was already in you last time. I’ll close the pores this time, stopping it before it starts.”</p><p>“Are you sure we can’t just get Crystal to launch us onto the street?”</p><p>“She’s exhausted. I had to manipulate her adrenal production just to kick us down the river this far.”</p><p>“Cause if this doesn’t work that’s at least thirty feet of water we got to swim through and I know you can do that thing where you make me vomit it out in one big steamy breath, but that only really worked with what was not already apart of me so while you might get some of it out you definitely won’t get all of out,” Kenna took a breath, “So unless you have some sick obsessions with watching disasters unfold we really really really need to be sure about this.” Crystal closed her eyes and slumped over. The water she had been so diligently keeping back for such a long time found itself no longer bound to her will.</p><p>Kenna grabbed both of them tightly breaking apart her confines and swam for the surface as swiftly as she could. The others were already drying themselves on the pier when she pulled herself up. She was cold, but not anymore substantial then she already was. She dropped Crystal onto the ground but held Elixir with a firm grip.</p><p>It was a cloudy night. The pier they found themselves on was some type of sports complex with a myriad of empty arenas.  If it wasn’t for the brightly lit backdrop of the mega city they probably wouldn’t have been able to see each other. “Alright, I know it’s been kind of bitch to get here, but we’re here. So,” she noticed some of them were trying not to stare at her as she stood up to full height. She was at least three times the size of any of them, “What?”</p><p>“You’re.” said Elliot stammering.</p><p>“Naked,” broadcasted Jono. Kenna looked down at herself.</p><p>“So I am,” said Kenna.</p><p>“I don’t see the problem,” said Elizabeth. They all looked at her. “What? I’m naked all the time. I am naked right now.”</p><p>“No you’re not,” said Elliot.</p><p>“This,” she said, tugging at part of her imitation Crystal clothing, “Is my skin. You don’t think the clothes just change with me do you?”</p><p>“That explains a lot,” said Kenna who was confused as to why she didn’t find any of her clothes to steal, “Yuuto? Do you have anything for this?” Yuuto rolled up his right sleeve. He pulled a black fabric out of the full length of his arm and offered it to her. “Oh, okay.” She pulled on it but there was no end to it. It just kept coming out. “Oh cool it’s just keeps going.” She pulled on it faster. He grabbed the cloth and pulled back. “What?” He shook his head at her. She pulled slower until she had enough to fashion some basic coverings.</p><p>“Everybody good with this?” asked Kenna, showcasing her work. Nobody gave a straight answer. “Whatever, moving on. So behind me is war-torn Manhattan and somewhere in there might be the remains of John. Now does anybody have any ideas where he could be? Cause I have no idea,” asked Kenna. Elliot raised his hand. “Yes! Elliot.”</p><p>“Are you going to let Elixir go anytime soon?” asked Elliot.</p><p>“Not until I’m completely dry. Anybody else?” Elliot raised his hand again. “Do you actually have an idea this time?”</p><p>“I think you broke his arm.” said Elliot. She looked down at Elixir. The arm she was holding him by was twisted and dangling unnaturally. She dropped him immediately.</p><p>“Elixir are you alright!? You gotta say something about these things!” yelled a concerned Kenna. He jerked and twisted his arm back into place. “I’m fine,” he groaned, moving his hand arounds his ribs. As soon as he was done mending himself he walked over to an abnormally still Crystal laying sprawled out on the ground. He placed his hand on her causing her to cough up water. She was breathing now, but still not much for moving.</p><p>“Was she-,” she tried to ask with fear in her voice.</p><p>“She’s fine.”</p><p>“Did I-.”</p><p>“I said, she’s fine.” She looked at her own hand. Whatever Elixir had done to her was already losing its effect. Her skin was completely dry. She lost herself watching the mesmerizing affair of her swelling skin.</p><p>“Kenna,” said Elixir snapping his fingers trying to get her attention</p><p>“Hm?” Kenna said snapping out of her trance.</p><p>“You didn’t kill her.”</p><p>“Sure.”</p><p>“And I need to find the rest of John while I still have a chance.”</p><p>“You’re right,” she shook her head, “It looks like parts of the city still don’t have power. So let’s say you, me, and Crystal cover those areas while the rest of you who can pass for not mutants covers whatever the light touches. Any questions?”</p><p>“How are we going to get back?” asked Elliot.</p><p>“We were always on borrowed time. As soon as Xavier figures out what happened he’ll find us. I imagine he’ll coordinate with Illyana from there. Don’t worry about getting lost, just worry about finding John.” Jono gave a thumbs up while Yuuto started passing out hard hats and clip-boards to their group.</p><p>“Elixir, can we talk for a minute?” asked Kenna, taking a knee next to him.</p><p>“Make it quick.”</p><p>“Do you really think we’re going to find the rest of John? Manhattan is a big place and things move around a lot. I’m happy to help, but I’m worried about you.”</p><p>“I’m fine. We need to go.”</p><p>“You keep saying that, but what if we don’t find what we’re looking for?”</p><p>“We will,” he said walking away.</p><p>“Wait! I’m not! What about Crystal? She's still passed out!” She looked down at Crystal, then back at Elixir, then back at Crystal nervously. She gently threw her over her shoulder before catching up with Elixir.</p><p>“Elizabeth!” yelled Kenna as ran.</p><p>“What!?” Elizabeth yelled back.</p><p>“Don’t get distracted!” Elizabeth rolled her eyes not dignifying her with a response.</p><p>The streets were dark and devoid of life. It reminded her of the forests she used to sneak around in. The debris digging into her feet were not unlike the foliage, the buildings were like the trees, even the sounds felt too familiar. From the distant to the uncomfortably close. Granted the ambient gunfire was nothing like crickets but the rhythm was the same. In either setting she always felt unwelcomed. Like her very presence was disrupting a delicate ecosystem. Kenna was only able to barely follow Elixir since his golden profile contrasted with the night. And even then, it was only a matter of time till she lost him entirely. “Elixir!” she whispered as loudly as she could. She had looked away for two seconds at the smoldering skyline. “Elixir! Where are you!?” she called out a little louder.</p><p>“Lost someone, have we dearie?” asked the old lady. Kenna freaked out at first, until she realized the old woman was sitting behind a foldable table covered in what looked like hand-made scented candles. She hardly looked at her either. She waved her hand in front of the old woman with no reaction. It might just have been the lack of light, but it appeared as if she was blind. Kenna lowered herself to her and fought the urge to introduce herself.</p><p>“Yes, I lost my friend Elixir. Did you see where he went?” she asked, not wanting to assume anything.</p><p>“There’s always a chance. Perhaps some illumination would clear my memory.” Her accent leaned towards western Europe.</p><p>“Maybe you should light one of the many candles you got there.”</p><p>“My, I wish I could, but you see, I’m selling these candles. And I couldn’t possibly afford to use one for my own personal use.” Kenna looked around.</p><p>“Kind of sketchy place to be selling wares isn’t it?”</p><p>“Oh I know, but you see, with the power out any sort of light is in high demand.”</p><p>“Okay, how much?”</p><p>“Fifty-thousand dollars a candle.”</p><p>“Are you shitting me!?”</p><p>“These are quality candles my dear. You’ll never find another one like it I promise.”</p><p>“Are they drugs!? Are you selling me drugs!? Is this how drugs are sold!? I don’t have that kind of money!”</p><p>“This is a bargain of the highest caliber. However, perhaps we can arrange a different way of payment?”</p><p>“You can’t have my soul.” The old lady started laughing.</p><p>“My goodness no? Nothing so Faustian. I was referring to a payment plan.”</p><p>“Oh, my bad.”</p><p>“I’m sorry to tell you this, but your soul and fifty thousand dollars would still only get you a candle.” With Elixir undoubtedly getting further and further away and knowing she could probably just get the money from the human printing machine known as Yuuto she didn’t see any real downside to this.</p><p>“Deal, so I can grab any of these right? That purple one really speaks to me.”</p><p>“No dearie, these are show candles. Yours will be delivered to you within ten to fifteen business days.”</p><p>“Really? Whatever, do you know where Elixir is?”</p><p>“That rather yellow fellow?</p><p>“Yes, that’s him!”</p><p>“He’s over two blocks behind you.” Kenna looked over her shoulder and while at first, she thought this blind woman was hustling her, but she did spot a hint of yellow down that way.</p><p>“Thanks! Bye!” she said standing back preparing for a sprint.</p><p>“Goodbye Kenna, it was a pleasure to meet you,” the old woman said. Kenna turned around. The old woman’s eyes met hers. Any sense of subtlety or stealth was dropped right then as she ran down the street towards the yellow. And just to make things frustrating the yellow she was running towards was now running away from her too. “Elixir! Elixir it’s me! Stop running!” she yelled. He was a decent way ahead of her, but she was catching up fast. And she would have gotten there faster if it wasn’t everything else going on. Every street she stomped on through was having its own little event. Firefights, parties, construction crews, firefights between parties and construction crews, and the odd cult worshipping a Leviathan like corpse all felt like they were there to specifically slow her down as she bobbed, jumped, and weaved her way through juggling Crystal all the way. It wasn’t until she finally caught up to the yellow fellow did she realize the person she was chasing wasn’t Elixir.</p><p>His full body hazmat suit was more yellow then gold which became more painfully obvious the closer she got to him. And it also explained why he was running from her. She slowed down. “Sorry! Sorry! I thought you were somebody else! I promise I wasn’t trying to eat you or anything!” she yelled after him as he ran towards a more distinguished building. The sign read “The center for Discovery and Innovation” and the property was separated from the rest of the city by lush greenery. The witch had obviously lied to her, perhaps sensing her own trickery afoot. However, the man she scared the shit out of might still be able to help her. Maybe it was the hazmat suit, but the person seemed to radiate a certain scientific aura about them.</p><p>She crept up to the building and peeked in through the second story windows. The insides were bustling with activity. Hazmat suits and eerily familiar automatons alike were running in every direction gathering everything they could get their mitts on to bring to what looked like a bleeding hole in the wall. Two of them that seemed outside of the chaos caught her eye. The less elaborate one looked panicked and waving their arms around in wild motions. The language of his body described stories of being chased by some large creature.  </p><p>Then they spotted her peeping in through the window. The flustered one pointed at her belligerently while the elaborate one shined a pen laser at her. Kenna half expected it to hurt, but it was simply a laser pointer. She didn’t think much of it until all the automatons began to shoot at her. It was more surprising than anything. Sure, the bullets hurt as they went in, but they were promptly worked out with nothing to mark the event other than a puff of steam. She was more worried about Crystal’s less stubborn anatomy when she turned tail and ran.</p><p>The streets were not going to work for her. That had become painfully apparent to her now. She didn’t even bother checking to see if there was a small army of robots chasing her when she decided to scale one of the buildings. It wasn’t easy. She was never much of a climber and the building was never meant to be climbed by someone like her. Kenna even nearly dropped Crystal several times to the point carrying her by the scruff of her clothes was the only real way she could do this. </p><p>Didn’t end there either. When she got to the top, she hopped buildings to get even further away. Some of them could handle her, others couldn’t. It quickly devolved into a game of “the floor is lava” on a scale that had never been seen before. The situation escalated even further when a small troublesome helicopter spotted her. It followed her around building to building shining a bright beaming spotlight down at her activities. “Can you not!” she yelled finally stopping to address the obnoxious pilot and his whimsical whirly bird.</p><p>In her justified outcry of frustration, she dropped Crystal from her teeth. And when she hit the roof of the building she woke up. And when she woke all she knew was that there was an obnoxious bright light shining down upon her accompanied by mechanical noises from the sky. Crystal swiped at the air. Whatever she did caused the helicopter to lose control of itself going into a spin. “Crystal what did you do and why did you do that!?” yelled Kenna. Crystal looked at her with an expression of sheer confusion. “Just hold onto me and do absolutely anything you can do to keep it in the air!” she yelled, throwing Crystal on her back.</p><p>They chased the distressed aircraft across the rooftops trying to figure out a way to save it without getting minced by those spinning blades. Crystal was managing to keep it from colliding with anything but keeping it above up indefinitely seemed to be beyond her influence. It seemed like this was going to be another disaster to add to her list until opportunity presented itself. The copter was veering over a dilapidated group of smaller buildings. As with every thought that had ever crossed her mind the idea was stupid, but it was only idea she had that was better than letting it crash. With a great deal of effort, she leapt off the roof and caught the helicopter by its base with both hands. Unable to support her weight they both plummeted into the desolate buildings below.</p><p>“Crystal,” muttered Kenna. Even though she had just crashed through multiple floors she had somehow managed to land on her feet while holding what was left of the small aircraft above her head.</p><p>“Yes?” answered Crystal as little puffs of steam rose up around them.</p><p>“You’re hurting me.” Crystal had arms wrapped around Kenna’s neck so tightly during the ordeal that Kenna couldn’t breathe.</p><p>“Please don’t do that again either,” she said, easing up on her death grip.</p><p>“I won’t if you won’t,” Kenna coughed.</p><p>“Where’s everybody?”</p><p>“I don’t know. Probably all dead with the way things have been going.”</p><p>“You okay?”</p><p>“I think I am. It was touch and go there for a minute, but I think,” she trailed off. A drop fell on her head from the helicopter. Or at least what was left of it. In the desperation of the moments before she had crushed it. Looking up at it now it was little more than a warped piece of metal wrapped around her trembling hands. Another drop fell on her face. Her breathing became erratic. She dropped it on the ground. Crystal called out to her trying to get her attention as Kenna stared at the remains.</p><p>“Look at me!” she yelled, “We will find Elixir!”</p><p>“Okay,” said Kenna with unsettling calm.</p><p>“Everything will get better!”</p><p>“Sure,” she said looking around.</p><p>“I will help you! I promise!”</p><p>“It’s alright, I’m good, I’m fine. I’m fine fine fine fine fine, fine.”  Kenna pulled a piece of rebar off of the building and jabbed it through her forearm. The puncture roared as an inferno of vapors erupted from her skin with the force of a small steam explosion. She fought to keep it in. Her body was rejecting it with fervor. The more of her the mutation used to repair the damage the smaller she got. And the smaller she got the bigger the rebar got. And the bigger the rebar got the more of her mutation took from her to repair the damage it was causing. </p><p>A lethal cycle that could only be fueled for so long until there was not enough Kenna left to keep it going. When her mutation finally burned out, and the mist finally cleared, there she was. On her knees, at a normal size, still clutching the rod trying to hold back the tears. Crystal, worried for her life, walked over and ripped it out of her. Kenna tried to fight her off as she pulled water from the air and applied it to her arm. “Stop!” Kenna cried out.</p><p>“I’m helping.” said Crystal.</p><p>“I don’t want your help! Go away!”</p><p>“You don’t mean that.”</p><p>“You’re hurting me!” Crystal let go. There was nothing more to do anyway. Crystal had given her enough to heal the more visible wounds. “Don’t ever do that again,” she said, backing away.</p><p>“I won’t if you won’t,” said Crystal tried to say, forcing a chuckle.</p><p>“No, just don’t, ever.”</p><p>“You were hurting yourself.”</p><p>“It’s the only way for me to get back to me.”</p><p>“But I was helping. You’re better now.”</p><p>“You’re not though. Everything you’ve ‘helped’ with has only made things worse. So much more worse than it had to be. Stop helping. You’re not helping. You’re bad at it. Just sit here and wait for somebody to find you.” Crystal ran the words through her mind over and over again in a stunned silence looking for anything that she could misunderstand. However, the look on Kenna’s face said more than her words ever did. She was not wanted. She did as she was told and took a seat on a pile of rubble without another word. </p><p>Kenna wrapped herself up yet again and turned to leave. She had never been less prepared to deal with what was out there in the dark, but no matter what it was she was more willing to deal with what was to come then was here. Then her heart broke. Even with all the chittering of the city she could still hear the telltale sounds of sadness. She turned around. Crystal turned away from her. Even as she tried to hide it Kenna could tell she was crying. </p><p>The emotional friction within herself could have started a fire. The urge to leave, the urge to shuffle away everything that happened and move on, was strong.  She let out a long sigh whispering a curse under her breath before walking back to sit next to her. “I’m sorry,” said Kenna. Crystal turned away from her. “I’m hurt, and when I’m hurt, I hurt others. And that’s not right. Will you please forgive me?” Crystal looked at her wiping away tears.</p><p>“Please don’t do that again,” said Crystal.</p><p>“We might need to start a list,” said Kenna, trying to chuckle. She stared out into the city. “I wish Franny was here. She’s so much better at stuff like this.”</p><p>“She knows. She asked me to follow you.”</p><p>“I figured,” groaned Kenna.</p><p>“It’s the first time anybody asked me to do anything important.”</p><p>“You might want Elixir to take care of those claw marks if we see him again.”</p><p>“I’d actually like to keep them. They’d be good stories if I ever see my family again. It will let them know I made friends. Or that I survived a wild animal attack. Both will make them happy.”</p><p>“I’m sure they’ll come visit or Xavier will give you some time to go visit them.”</p><p>“Can you keep a secret?” Kenna thought long and hard about this.</p><p>“Maybe.”</p><p>“What’s the word again for a person that has fled their home country?”</p><p>“Refugee?”</p><p>“Yes, I am one of those.”</p><p>“Oh, from where?”</p><p>“I can’t tell you.”</p><p>“Why? Is it like a mutant witness protection thing?”</p><p>“You’ll look at me differently.”</p><p>“Say no more. I understand.”</p><p>“You do?”</p><p>“My home is not looked highly upon either.”</p><p>“Where do you come from?</p><p>“Can you keep a secret?”</p><p>“Maybe?” said Crystal showing a hint of a smile.</p><p>“Ravenswood, West Virginia.” Crystal gasped. “It has its own cultural identity that happens to enjoy things other than banjos! I’m not saying that banjos are not involved! But it’s not as banjo centric as the world thinks it is!”</p><p>“What is a banjo?”</p><p>“The less you know the better.”</p><p>“Is it bad?”</p><p>“Depends on who you ask. Just don’t tell anybody.”</p><p>“I am very curious now.”</p><p>“How’d you end up on Xavier’s doorstep anyway?”</p><p>“My sister’s husband knows Xavier. He took me in as a favor.”</p><p>“Cool,”</p><p>“I hope they’re alright.”</p><p>“Well, if they’re as scary as you I’m sure they’re fine.”</p><p>“I’m not scary.”</p><p>“In this very short trip I’ve seen you work with water, earth, maybe air, and Franny said you do fire stuff too. That’s pretty intense. Some real avatar shit right there.”</p><p>“Why do people keep calling me that?”</p><p>“How do you even do any of it?” Crystal tapped on her head.</p><p>“Psionically.”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“With my mind.”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“I have a base connection with primordial forces.”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“I just do.”</p><p>“Makes about as much sense as anything else going on.” Kenna shivered.</p><p>“Cold?” asked Crystal.</p><p>“A little,” said Kenna. A fire manifested in front of them inches above the ground. “Cool.”</p><p>“Helpful?”</p><p>“Yeah.” Kenna knew that with this supernatural campfire they could be more easily spotted, but she didn’t have it in her to tell Crystal. They sat next to it admiring the scenery for a moment longer as night went on. “I don’t know what I’m going to do Crystal.”</p><p>“I know right. Do we find Elixir? Do we find the others? Do we look for John?”</p><p>“That man’s dead because of me.”</p><p>“We find Elixir first then?”</p><p>“Even if we do. There’s going to be a day where I do this again and Elixir’s not going to be there to clean up after me.”</p><p>“It was an accident. You were trying to save him. I was the one that put him in danger.”</p><p>“He might have survived the crash. I don’t know. How do more well adjusted normal people deal with stuff like this?” As she finished the sentence a great pentagram of fire erupted in front of them. With it came forth the magic mutant foretold in Elixir’s prophecy. She walked towards them toting a large glowing sword over her shoulder.</p><p>“Dah,” Illyana said seemingly to nobody.</p><p>“Hi Illyana, I guess you’re here to take us back?” asked Kenna.</p><p>“Dah,” she said again. Kenna wanted to believe that “dah” was for her, but it was hard to tell. Kenna stood up only to be met with Illyana’s sword in her face. It was a two-handed sword, but she was wielding with only one hand. “Nyet.” Kenna sat back down. “Dah!” she said again to nobody. Another flaming pentagram encompassed them magically taking them back to a generic waiting room where everybody she had taken with her was sitting. Except for Elixir. Instead their seventh there was the large disappointed looking metal man known as Peter. Illyana gave her a look before disappearing into her flaming shape once again.</p><p>“Hi Peter,” said Kenna sheepishly.</p><p>“No, this is no ‘Hi Peter’ this is bad.”</p><p>“Where’s Elixir?”</p><p>“Illyana went for him now.”</p><p>“Why did she not get him first?”</p><p>“He can take care of himself. You can’t.”</p><p>“Debatable?”</p><p>“No debate! You could have been killed! Or worse!” he yelled in a very loud stern tone of voice.</p><p>“John is dead. Elixir needed help to bring him back. Why did he need to come to me for this? Why wouldn’t you all help him?” A rage washed across Peter’s face, but it receded quickly into sadness.</p><p>“We tried.” The pentagram appeared again in front of them. Illyana and Elixir materialized out of it. He was fighting her the entire time.</p><p>“Take me back!” he yelled.</p><p>“Elixir that’s enough!” yelled Peter.</p><p>“He's still out there! I can save him!”</p><p>“No, Elixir, it’s over. John’s gone.” Elixir glared at him before composing himself.</p><p>“Understood,” he said as his golden arm turned an obsidian color. He touched Illyana’s cheek. She crumpled to the floor. “And now she’s gone.” Everyone backed up. The rage returned to Peter’s face.</p><p>“Bring her back,” said Peter.</p><p>“She’s gone, Peter. It’s over, Peter. You need to learn to accept that things are beyond your control, Peter. Everything’s going to be fine, Peter.”</p><p>Peter ran him through a wall. The whole experience was surreal. Nobody knew what was going on. Peter was angry Russian yelling. Demonic portals sprouting clawing arms opened up all around Illyana’s body. Jono pulled off his coat and started blasting pure energy out of his chest. Elliot ran out of the room with a large duffle bag she didn’t remember him bringing. Elizabeth bit into Yuuto's arm. Unable to follow any of it Kenna grabbed Crystal to chase after Peter cause it was the first thing that happened.</p><p>Turns out Peter had taken Elixir through several walls. It was an easy enough path of destruction to follow. It led all the way to the outside where she found Peter on the ground, dead. At least that’s how it appeared. His hulking frame was still. Sprawled out across that grass with no breath to be seen. It was hard to look at. Not because of any sense of loss but because of the lack of the sense of loss. It felt unnatural feeling unconcerned about the scene that laid before her knowing that if she could find Elixir it didn’t mean anything.</p><p>“There!” yelled Crystal. Elixir’s iridescent skin caught her eye as he ran across the grounds. They gave chase.</p><p>“Can you put him in the ground?” Kenna asked as they ran. Crystal shook the earth around them violently. “Stop! What are you doing!?”</p><p>“Lots of stuff underground. Harder to move.”</p><p>“That’s right, there’s like a whole sub-area to this place. What else can you do?” Crystal raised her hand to him setting the golden man on fire. “Stop! You might kill him! No fire!”</p><p>“But he’s Elixir,” said Crystal.</p><p>“What if fire’s his one weakness! No fire!” Crystal put him out. It didn’t even slow him down. “What else you got? Can’t you use the wind to slow him down?”</p><p>“It’s better for pushing.” She pulled a small sphere of water out of the air.</p><p>“No,” said Kenna. Crystal gripped it both lengthening it and freezing it into a spear. “Oh.” She hurled it into Elixir who promptly pulled it out and kept running. “Keep doing that! I think it slowed him down!” yelled Kenna. Crystal kept on hurling the missiles, closing the gap between them until he had finally stopped. They were at a cemetery. There were many graves. He had only stopped to claw at the dirt of a freshly dug one. “Here lies John Proudstar'' the gravestone read “Friend, Warrior, and honored member of the X-Men.” The once glimmering sheen of his body was now giving way to more of the creeping obsidian. Crystal raised her hand to him. “Hold up,” said Kenna, “Let me talk to him.” Kenna crept closer. Crystal gave her a look. “I know, I know, I gotta try though. I still wanna help too.”</p><p>“Hey Elixir,” she said, not expecting a response that was never given, “We talked about this, remember? We knew that whole trip was going to be a longshot.” He continued digging. While the dirt was still soft, he wasn’t making much headway. “Elizabeth told me some things about him, apparently she attended the funeral in my place. They said that he only had one fear, and that was dying an old man in his bed. That this was the way he wanted to go. That this was an appropriate end to his story.” She sat down next to him. He stopped digging but didn’t look at her. “Can only imagine how it must feel. If I had the power of life and death at my fingertips like you do, I would definitely feel a great obligation to save those around me too.” She paused, the blackened parts of his body had begun to recede. Gold was reclaiming the land.  “But an obligation is not a responsibility. No one expects a band-aid to cure cancer. The problem you're blaming yourself for is bigger than any of us. It’s not your fault.”</p><p>He placed his arm on her shoulder. She thought nothing of it until she started feeling funny. Like something in her was off. “Your heart just stopped,” said Elixir. Kenna felt around her chest. “It’s okay, I’m still pumping your blood. Everything is still getting what it needs, but if I ever let go that won’t be that case anymore.”</p><p>“Elixir, please.”</p><p>“It would be so easy to make you stop talking right now. Death, unconsciousness, collapsed lungs, severed cords, sealed lips, but I need your words.”</p><p>“For what?” Kenna felt her blood pressure drop. She felt faint.</p><p>“Tell her to dig up the coffin.”</p><p>“But you said there wasn’t enough of him left.”</p><p>“John will live. Even if it’s only in the strictest definition imaginable. Then I will bring back Peter. Then I will bring back Illyana. Then everything will be fine. Nobody will ever die again, and we will go on like this forever and ever.” He stood Kenna up with him and turned around. “Now don’t you have something to say to her?” She looked at the concerned Crystal. Kenna was barely holding onto consciousness and it showed.</p><p>“Crystal, I know you’re not going to like this, but you’re going to need to do everything I say,” said Kenna. Crystal’s focus jumped between them several times trying to figure out what was going on. “Run!” Her body went into flux. Chemicals imbalanced themselves, neurons fired off and on, pressures rose and dropped wildly. To say it was painful would be generous cause at least that would imply some level of consistency. No, she felt everything all at once. Crystal raised her finger and shot a small bead of water right through his eye. He had trouble standing for a moment before regaining his composure. It would have been a kill shot for a normal person, but to him there was little to show for it other than the little blood he was wiping from his eye.</p><p>“You can’t kill me, and even if you could, why would you? Who’s going to bring you back the next time you die? I saved you Crystal. Do you even remember that? Kenna held onto us tightly that she crushed the life out of us. Now please, all I’m asking is that you help me bring back John. Help me bring back our friend,” said Elixir as the hole she had just made closed itself.</p><p>“Let her go,” said Crystal.</p><p>“Only after I have brought back John,” said Elixir. The decision she made was not one she came to easily. It was with a heavy heart she raised the coffin from the earth and opened it. Inside was his vacuumed sealed remains arranged in anatomically correct manner. A sad attempt to make a body where there clearly was none. He reached out to them.</p><p>“Come on John. It’s time to get up. They need you,” said Elixir.</p><p>“That’s quite enough,” said Charles. Elixir’s hand slowed to a stop. In the time between blinks the headmaster himself Charles Xavier stood there next to the exhumed grave holding his arm. Kenna’s heart began to beat again. She wasn’t sure if it was Xavier or Elixir was just too distracted to keep it off, but she didn’t waste time breaking free.</p><p>“What are you doing?” asked Elixir.</p><p>“I’m sorry Josh.”</p><p>“Do not call me that. My name is Elixir.”</p><p>“I had always feared that I was leaning too heavily upon you.”</p><p>“I have to keep them alive.”</p><p>“Josh.”</p><p>“That’s what you asked me to do.”</p><p>“There is a lesson to be learned here, an important one. Even with all of our gifts, even with all of our power, we are not immortal. Not in this way. Death will come for us all eventually. It’s inevitable. However, so is life.” He kept going, but Kenna was hardly paying attention. All she really cared about was that he was distracted. She got up. The malicious manipulation of her being had finally died down enough. With held breathe she ran at him. The irony was too beautiful to ignore. This smug arrogant immortal being was standing right in front of a beckoning coffin. He wouldn’t die, at least she didn’t think he would, and she didn’t want him to. This was a school after all, a place of learning, and what better place to learn that death can be a gift than being trapped in a grave.</p><p>She fell over, but she didn’t remember tripping. She also didn’t recall leaving the cemetery, or where anybody went. She was alone in the forest. “That’s quite enough out of you as well,” said Xavier walking up behind her. She tried to mount a defense. Tried to come up with an explanation, an excuse as to why everything went so horribly wrong so quickly in every way imaginable. But she knew it was hopeless. She knew he knew everything she could ever possibly say. That he was aware of everything that had happened until now. And that she only knew this because he wanted her to know.</p><p>“I tried,” said Kenna, starting to break into tears.</p><p>“You certainly did not.”</p><p>“I never stopped trying, I swear.”</p><p>“You never even started.”</p><p>“What more could I have done!?”</p><p>“Perhaps it’s a good thing we got to this point so early in the year. Not every student is the same and obviously my methods aren’t working.”</p><p>“What point? What does that mean? What’s going on? Am I expelled?”</p><p>“No, not yet. Kenna, no matter what happens you need to know that I still and will always believe in you. That being said, I can see now you’ll require a more aggressive tutelage.”</p><p>“What do you mean by that?”</p><p> “Please, when you see him, give Erik my regards.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Chapter 11</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Five months later Kenna’s small cube of a prison fell apart like sand. It was the first time in a long time her senses had not been assaulted by the strong metallic smell of her confines. It was cold, winter had taken its hold on Xavier’s campus. The fresh air was a welcomed change. There was no snow, but in its stead autumn colored leaves now covered the ground. It weirdly matched her crimson prison uniform.</p><p>Erik had given no indication of if or when they had planned on releasing her. This whole ordeal was unexpected. She wanted to run but guarded herself against the thought fearing it was a part of a bigger deception. That was until she saw a familiar blinking light. Off into the distance in front of the doors of the main building she recognized the greenish hue of the glow. “Franny?” she said to herself.</p><p>Deception or not it had been a long time since she had last seen her blue friend. She didn’t run, but she did draw closer. But before she could get into calling distance the signal disappeared. When she got to where she last saw the beacon, she found the door cracked open. She faced a similar scene in the foyer, except she could clearly see now that was indeed Franny at the top of the staircase. Kenna declined to speak first. She was tired and not in the mood for whatever this was. Franny blinked her light at her and went into the elevator. Kenna followed as reluctantly as she was annoyed.</p><p>This game Franny was playing continued into the chrome bowels of the mansion. Kenna followed hoping to get an explanation at some point until Franny finally went into a place Kenna absolutely refused to follow. “Franny, I don’t know what this is about, but I’m not going in there.” The room before her was designated the “Danger Room” and she was very familiar with it. The interior wasn’t even illuminated. Only Franny silhouetted by her own light could even be seen. She blinked at Kenna again. “No, look I don’t if they told you what happened or not, but I messed up pretty bad. And this is the first time I’ve seen anything other than shifting black sand for awhile so if you want to talk, I’ll definitely be at whatever meal is coming up next. It was nice seeing you again I guess.” she said, beginning to walk away.</p><p>“Wait,” said Franny. Kenna stopped to look back at her. “Trust me.” Kenna looked at her, then back at the danger room sign, then back at her again. Against her better judgement Kenna walked into the room.</p><p>“This better be good.”</p><p>“Oh, it is,” said Franny before she turned out her light.</p><p>“Franny.”</p><p>“Yes,” answered Franny from a different part of the room.</p><p>“I hate you, so much right now.”</p><p>“Good, hate makes people do things better. You’ll need that for this.” When the lights came back on she was in a city in the middle of the day. A nondescript major metropolitan area crowded and bustling with activity. Which would have been fine if it was to scale. However, Kenna was staring down at the bustle from a great height. Only a few buildings could match her in size. She saw herself reflected off of a skyscraper and started breathing like a freight train. “Do you like it!?” asked Franny over the intercom. Kenna felt something at her feet. She looked down again to see cars piling up around her feet. She was standing in the middle of two lanes of traffic. “Okay, so we’ll start off easy. Just walk a mile down the street in any direction. Don’t worry about body counts or anything. This is a simulation. Nobody’s gonna die. We’ll work on reducing that stuff later. But for now, just do everything I say. Simple stuff, right?”</p><p>Kenna crouched down and closed her eyes. “What are you doing?” asked Franny. And placed her hands over her ears. “Are you having a panic attack!? Kenna this isn’t even realism mode. They are not even reacting to you. Nobody’s screaming anything about the Thousand-foot mutant squatting in the city. Everybody is having a lovely day.” Kenna didn’t move. “You’re embarrassing me right now. Just say something. Talk to me. Do anything else than what you’re doing.” She pressed her hands harder against her head trying to hide herself from the reality that laid before her. “Fine, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to do this, but here we go.”</p><p>The ground shook and tiny little things bounced off of her. She peeked one eye open to see what happened. To see what destruction she somehow caused. In the smoldering wreckage stood Franny. Wearing a blue and yellow uniform. Scaled in the same she was. Unapologetic with her presence. “I never really understood what the big deal was,” she said stepping towards her crushing the clogged traffic, “I’ve done this program at five feet, fifty feet, a hundred feet and it never feels that different to me no matter what I scale it to.” She popped one of her claws and ran it along the buildings as she walked. The damage she was causing was catastrophic, but the people of the city still continued to pay it no attention. A simulated man washing the windows of a nearby building even tipped his hard-hat at her. She took a moment to humor the program, which is why she didn’t see Kenna lay into her.</p><p>Kenna had put her full weight into it taking them both to the ground. The impact of their decent shattered whatever windows were left. Great waves of metal and debris was thrown across the city. The window washer was annoyed but overall unbothered as fell to his death. Kenna did her best to keep Franny on the ground. Which was much easier than she recalled. Franny wasn’t even trying to escape.</p><p>“That’s enough,” said a familiar masculine voice over the intercom. The city began to fade away.</p><p>“And?” asked Franny.</p><p>“Request denied,” he said.</p><p>“What!?” Franny kicked Kenna off and stood up, “Come on Scott! Did you not see that? She can mess some people up when she wants to.”</p><p>“She is inexperienced, undisciplined, and uncoordinated. She is a danger to herself and others.” he said.</p><p>“Mr. Summers?” asked Kenna, starting to recognize the voice of her physical education teacher.</p><p>“I mean, yeah, but I can fix two out three of those things if you give me enough time.”</p><p>“The request is denied. Find somebody else. End of discussion,” he said.</p><p>Franny waited for a moment before summarizing the whole of her feelings with a “Fuck.”</p><p>“Yes! I agree!” yelled Kenna getting back up.</p><p>“And you’re heavier than I remember? Did you go out of your way to get fatter in prison just to spite me?”</p><p>“What is going on Franny!?”</p><p>“Oh! Hold on! Oh! I have a program for this. Danger run the 'Franny One' program” said Franny. The lights went out again and when they turned back on, she was in a room modeled after the rooms they stayed in at the women’s dorm. It was a spartan always, two metal beds, some chairs, and a sink with the only exception being a single small coffee maker. Franny opened the door carrying a metallic box in with her.</p><p>“So just assume I know everything about what happened with you after I specifically said that indulging a very powerful mental patient was a bad idea,” Franny said walking over to the bed that would have been hers.</p><p>“So you know about our little trip to Manhattan?”</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>“And how Elixir freaked out and killed Peter and his sister?”</p><p>“Yes, they’re fine by the way.”</p><p>“And how I was sent to a mutant prison run by a magnetic megalomaniac.”</p><p>“Yeah Erik’s a real hoot.”</p><p>“You know him!?”</p><p>“I’ve read about him. He was part founder of this school until he and Xavier diverged philosophically. Then he was a terrorist for a long time.”</p><p>“I believe it.”</p><p>“Then he realized that no matter how many times he thought he won the argument Xavier still wouldn’t see his way of thinking. So he stopped fighting him and is waiting for Xavier’s ambitions to crumble under its own weight, as an adjunct professor that also runs the X-Cell.</p><p>“How do you know all this?”</p><p>“You’re looking at the new leader of the X-Men green team.”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“Which you promptly failed the examination test for, so you can’t be a part of it now.”</p><p>“I’m okay with this.”</p><p>“Officially.”</p><p>“Huh?”</p><p>“Don’t worry, I get you in somehow.”</p><p>“Please don’t.”</p><p>“Anyway, it’s a new team. Made primarily of exceptionally gifted students for emergency defensive measures.”</p><p>“So how did you become the leader?”</p><p>“Fuck you, that’s how.”</p><p>“No, really you’ve been here for…”</p><p>“Six months.”</p><p>“That would make it…”</p><p>“December.”</p><p>“Half a year and you’re already the head of something? Also what day of December are we on?”</p><p>“That’s just how exceptional I am. It’s the second.”</p><p>“No seriously I’ve seen a dude here that shoots a big ole’ fuck you beam out of his chest. What do you got that he doesn’t?”</p><p>“Okay fine, Ororo might have been batting for me. Also, who is this man with the ‘FU’ beam?”</p><p>“That makes less sense. His name is Jono.”</p><p>“I think she’s trying to teach me something about the burden of leadership. Did he look like he’d be into joining a student run campus defense force?”</p><p>“That makes more sense and I don’t know, maybe you should ask him. Wherever he is.”</p><p>“Well jokes on her, I’m generally good at everything and will be good at this too and she’s going to feel really stupid and I will find this Jono guy and you will introduce me.”</p><p>“Sure, for both, whatever.”</p><p>“And it would have been great if you were on the team in a more official way.”</p><p>“I told you, day one, that I killed a guy with this.”</p><p>“Yeah, I remember.”</p><p>“A guy I liked!”</p><p>“I said I remember. You were crying about it right up until you popped the door open.”</p><p>“Why would you do that to me!”</p><p>“To help you! You need practice! You need to figure out how not to do that again and you can’t do that by not using it! And you even used it in Manhattan to great effect.”</p><p>“Who told you that?”</p><p>“Crystal.”</p><p>“Did she tell you I killed a guy there too.”</p><p>“Sort of, she took responsibility. Said you tried to save him, but it didn’t work out.”</p><p>“What happened to her?”</p><p>“Nothing, apparently she has diplomatic immunity.”</p><p>“What? How? I mean I know she’s a-,” Kenna thought long and hard about her next word, “Hobo,”</p><p>“I think you’re trying to lie about the fact that she’s a princess.”</p><p>“What!?”</p><p>“Oh you didn’t know that?”</p><p>“No!? I was about say she was a refugee,” Kenna paused, “Fucking dammit!”</p><p>“Oh, interesting.”</p><p>“Please tell me you knew that.”</p><p>“Nope, her file is password locked. Which is fine cause I can't read it anyway. I got the princess bit from Scott.”</p><p>“Fuck, she told me not say anything. Promise me you won’t say anything.”</p><p>“Sure.”</p><p>“Don’t you ‘sure’ me, you say ‘I won’t tell anybody. Especially not Crystal’.” Franny rolled her eyes.</p><p>“I won’t tell anybody. Especially not Crystal.”</p><p>“Thank you, so a refugee princess you say?”</p><p>“Yup, ‘royal’ blood and everything.”</p><p>“What and where is she running from?”</p><p>“Not important. What is important is building this team. I can only recruit four other people. Crystal already said yes, Jono sounds promising, Logan only agreed if we took his daughter, and you’re a no-go. Any ideas on the last slot?”</p><p>“Why are you asking me?”</p><p>“Cause everybody else I asked said no.”</p><p>“Even the other Morlocks?”</p><p>“I’m not asking the Morlocks.”</p><p>“Why not?”</p><p>“I’m just not, get over it.”</p><p>“As much as it pains me to admit, Yuuto was pretty helpful during our trip. And he’s already friends with Jono.”</p><p>“What can he do?”</p><p>“Stab people.”</p><p>“I mean if Logan’s daughter is anything like he is we already have one of those.”</p><p>“He can also pull anything he fundamentally understands out of his body.”</p><p>“Give me some examples.”</p><p>“I’ve only ever seen him do various blades, office supplies, and cloth.”</p><p>“Is it limitless?”</p><p>“I don’t know but didn’t seem too into the idea of me using too much of that cloth.”</p><p>“As long as he says ‘yes’ I guess it will have to do.”</p><p>“How much time do you have to get this done?”</p><p>“I pretty much have to gather everyone together and submit them for orientation by the end of today.”</p><p>“And by the end of the day they mean midnight or?”</p><p>“Six in the afternoon.”</p><p>“Oof, you’d they give you more time to put something like this together.”</p><p>“They gave me a month.”</p><p>“Why are you just now getting to this!?”</p><p>“I was waiting for you!”</p><p>“You were still missing one other person besides me!”</p><p>“Well I was waiting on your input too!”</p><p>“Why are we just sitting here!?”</p><p>“I thought your assessment was going to take longer! I have this room for another forty minutes! The danger room is very difficult to reserve when you can’t read!”</p><p>“Okay, you go after Crystal and ask Logan where his daughter is. I’ll go after Yuuto and see if he knows where Jono is. We’ll meet up in the foyer and work our way from there.”</p><p>“Whoa now. I'm the Green team leader here. I will decide who does what.”</p><p>“Really?”</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>“Fine, what should we do Miss supreme green team leader?”</p><p>“Wait five minutes and we’ll then do everything you just said.”</p><p>“This is a strange flex of authority.”</p><p>“Scott told me that in times of stress it’s important to take a moment for yourself.”</p><p>“Can I at least leave to do my part?”</p><p>“No, I’m taking your moment too.”</p><p>“Ugh,” said a frustrated Kenna.</p><p>“Oh, and you’re going to need this now,” she said opening the box. Inside the box was a peculiar looking wrist accessory.</p><p>“What is it?”</p><p>“One of the reasons you were released.”</p><p>“But that doesn’t look like my kind eyes and gentle face at all.”</p><p>“Tessa said ‘It will inhibit the more robust parts of her personality’,” Franny said flourishing her wrist.</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“It will stop you from getting big.” Kenna snatched it from her and put it on. Despite its simple looking design, it automatically adjusted perfectly to her wrist.</p><p>“How does it work?”</p><p>“If you get any bigger then you currently are it will start digging into you.”</p><p>“Cool! Does this mean I can take showers like a normal person!?”</p><p>“Yes?”</p><p>“Cool,” she said staring down at the device in awe, “I can’t tell you how long it’s been since I’ve had a normal shower.”</p><p>“I don’t think it was designed for that though.”</p><p>“Are you telling me this thing isn’t waterproof!?”</p><p>“No, I’m telling you It might hurt. Like kind of a lot.”</p><p>“I’m okay with this,” Kenna looked over at the coffee maker, “Is that supposed to my old coffee maker?”</p><p>“Yeah, I asked Kitty to put it in.”</p><p>“Why?”</p><p>“I wanted it to feel like our old room, but our old room didn’t really have any distinguishing features other than what we brought in. And that was the only thing I ever really saw of yours.”</p><p>“Does it work?”</p><p>“How can you sit around thinking about making coffee with sophisticated alien technology! We only have till six!” yelled Franny as she got up to leave the room.</p><p>“Wait! What!? Wait!” yelled Kenna chasing after her.</p><p>When they got back to the surface, they split off to do their part. Kenna didn’t exactly recall where Yuuto’s room was. She had only ever gotten there through unusual means and had only ever left using equally unusual means.</p><p>“Hi Ellie! I need to-,” Ellie tried to close the door on her. Kenna fought back pressing against the door.</p><p>“This isn’t your room anymore! Go away!” yelled Ellie.</p><p>“Yes it is! Let me in!” yelled Kenna.</p><p>“Where’s your key!?”</p><p>“They haven’t given it back yet!” Kenna forced the door open, “Turn around.”</p><p>“What? Why?”</p><p>“Never mind! Unlike your brother, I don’t even need you for this part.” One brief struggle later and Kenna was being expunged from Elliot’s chest onto the floor of his room.</p><p>“Hi Elliot. Hi Chu Chu. Have you seen Yuuto?” asked Kenna getting up.</p><p>“You have to be kidding me!” said Chudame waving his three arms around.</p><p>“We have a door!” yelled Elliot.</p><p>“Shush Elliot shush, you are the door. Where’s Yuuto?”</p><p>“Were we not clear last time. You can’t be here. Please leave,” said Chudame.</p><p>“Tell me where Yuuto is and I’ll leave.”</p><p>“I don’t know. I never see him. I don’t think this is even his room anymore.”</p><p>“Yuuto! Get out here! I know you’re some fake wall or some shit.” She felt around the walls, ceiling, and floors frantically looking for any signs of a false structure. She found none. While she was inspecting the window, she noticed the lock was broken. “Where’s Jono’s room?” she asked.</p><p>“Right above ours? Why?” said Chudame. Kenna opened the window. There was a small rope dangling from the window above. She grabbed it pulling herself up to the next floor.</p><p>“Hey!” she yelled, knocking on the window. Jono opened and looked down at her. Even with only half of his face hidden behind a covering he was visibly confused. “I know we haven’t seen each other in a while, and to be honest I don't know what happened to you since that night, but would you like to join the X-men? I’ll have barely anything to do with it other than this conversation.” She started slipping down the rope. “Ah crap. Please say yes, find Yuuto, ask him to join too, and meet us in the foyer!” Before Jono could grab her, she slipped and fell into the well-kept bushes below. She screamed all the way down, gaining the attention of everyone on that side of the building just time to watch her awkwardly limp-run her way back to the foyer.</p><p>“Franny!” yelled Kenna running back into the building. Franny and Crystal were waiting there with an animal carrier.</p><p>“What happened to you?” asked Franny.</p><p>“I fell off a building. Hi Crystal, how are you doing? It’s been awhile.” Crystal hugged her, “Crystal you’re hurting me.”</p><p>“Sorry,” said Crystal. She looked Kenna over. “Can I get you some water?”</p><p>“No I’m good. Those scratches can heal themselves.”</p><p>“Already? Kenna it’s like an hour since you got back here. How did you fall off a building in that time?”</p><p>“Where’s Logan’s daughter?” asked Kenna.</p><p>“In here,” said Franny tapping the animal carrier.”</p><p>“You’re joking,” said Kenna.</p><p>“Nope,” said Franny.</p><p>“Ah!” yelled Kenna opening the cage.</p><p>“I wouldn’t do that.”</p><p>“Hi little girl my name is Kenna and I’m here to, ah!”</p><p>“What!?”</p><p>“Why is she bound and gagged!?” Kenna found out the very moment why when she untied the small child. Two arm length blades popped out of her knuckles with “snikt” and plunged themselves into Kenna’s stomach. Kenna tried to fight her off but she just kept on stabbing her yelling something in angry Spanish.</p><p>“Do you feel good about yourself now?”</p><p>“She’s stabbing me! Why is she stabbing me!?” Kenna yelled as the tiny feral girl pursued her around the foyer.</p><p>“Crystal would care to keep her alive while she learns this valuable lesson?” yelled Franny. Crystal spun her finger around Kenna pulling water into her wounds.</p><p>“Get her off of me!” yelled Kenna spewing steam from her stab wounds.</p><p>“I don’t know, she seems kind of dangerous.”</p><p>“It’s okay! I got her tiny girl arms! I think I can-.” Two more blades popped out of her feet.</p><p>“Ahh! She’s stabbing me with her feet now! AHH! WHY!?”</p><p>“Wait, where’s your people?” asked Franny.</p><p>“I talked to Jono before I fell off the building! Ah! He was supposed to find Yuuto for me! Isn’t anybody going to stop this!?”</p><p>“I think we just need to let this play itself out. She’s bound to get tired eventually.” The tiny feral child lost interest in getting burned by Kenna’s steam and ran on all fours towards Franny. “Oh shit.” Franny popped her wings and flew up just out of her reach. The child jumped wildly flailing her claws at her. “Crystal!” yelled Franny. A fireball manifested in her other hand. “Crystal no! We’re indoors!”</p><p>“Sorry!” Crystal whipped her arms around trapping the child in a sphere of water. </p><p>“Good job team. See I’m good at this.” said Franny landing.</p><p>“Wait isn’t she going to drown like that?” asked Kenna.</p><p>“Oh that’s right. That’s like her only other weakness.” It was at that time Jono and Yuuto arrived to see three women drowning a kid. They both went into a more offensive mindset.</p><p>“Wait, it’s not what it looks like! Crystal let her go!” Crystal looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “Just do it and keep the water coming!” Crystal released the child who immediately went back to stabbing Kenna again. “Ow! See! Ow!” They weren’t convinced. “Fine, you can have her. Go nuts.” Kenna tossed the unruly child at them. She would have killed Jono if she hadn’t stabbed him right in his big fuck off beam of a chest. His whole front side erupted into a furnace of iridescent energy sending her into the wall. The angry Spanish stopped. Franny looked at her watch. She didn’t know how to read it exactly, but she assumed they were going to be late anyway.</p><p>“Kenna, help me dig the kid out of the wall. Anybody else who wants to be an X-Men get on the elevator now!”</p>
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